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"Memory Makers"
Elders Storytelling Club

Come join us! Memory Makers is a Storytelling Club for Seniors that meets the third Wednesday of the month from 9am-Noon at the Nippersink Library, 5418 Hill Rd. (off of Rt. 12 ) in Richmond, Illinois.

For more information you may call Joy Aavang, Memory Makers Coordinator, at 815-338-1734 or email her at jaavang@hotmail.com

An article in the Chicago Tribune reported on a study done at St. Olaf's College in Northfield, MN, of 10,000 people. When recalling a meaningful life experience, their heart rates and blood pressure were lower when compared with reading a grocery list or describing a newspaper story. Storytelling is consoling and healing.

Memory Makers allow those attending to reminisce about such topics as home remedies, farm life, WWII, and a myriad of other topics. The stories are drawn from the participant's life experiences. Occassionally members visit the local schools to tell their stories. Children crave these stories - how you learned to drive, memorable teachers you had, or tricks you played on Halloween.

Storytelling is an opportunity to pass along life's lessons to up-coming generations. it is one of the oldest and best-known ways to express the significance of who you are. When you share stories, feelings of isolation disappear.