Intergeneration Foundation Announces
Award Winning Stories
in our
2nd Storytelling Contest
The Intergeneration Foundation seeks to reinforce and recognize the power of storytelling as a way to connect generations. Storytelling is an ancient tradition of every culture to inform, entertain, educate and bring people together. Our 2nd storytelling contest, generated stories from 42 states and 21 foreign countries. These diverse, moving, and entertaining stories reflect the best of intergeneration appreciation, growth, and relationships.
Here are our three top stories:
First Prize
"The Sound of Memories" by Sherlita McFarland, Raleigh, NC. Inspired by the true life experience of caring for her father, Ms. McFarland shares a touching tale of three generations learning from each other.
Second Prize
"A Life with Hope" by Elizabeth Ledford, Franklin, TN recounts the lasting impression a mission trip to China created in a young woman's memory and how she lived out that memory.
Third Prize
"Safe" by SuzAnne Cole addresses the stereotypical thinking that sometimes occurs when we see someone of another generation who looks and acts differently than we, as well as the gift of music in all our lives. Ms. Cole is a former English professor who lived in England at one time. Her story derives from images of elderly ladies clutching their purses on the subway when confronted with people who looked and acted differently.
We received almost 300 wonderfully informative, wise, and heartfelt stories from around the globe. In addition to the intergenerational aspect of the stories, the importance of cultural traditions was apparent. Preparing and sharing food, holidays, birthdays, nature, reunions, birth, aging and death contribute to our sense of connectedness to all generations, past, present, and future. Here are more stories for your reading pleasure. Perhaps, you will feel inspired to record your own favorite memories.
| A New Tradition by Amy Dallman | |||
| Bridging the Gap by Tanya Miller | |||
| Cooking Lessons by Mei Ching | |||
| Coquina by Joan Leotta | |||
| German Chocolate Cake by Natalie Gerhardstein | |||
| Mittens by Maureen Lee | |||
| Mohawk Man by Frank Kavanaugh | |||
| My Father, His Father by David Smart | |||
| Pop Sinks the Caddie by Jeanna Fox | |||
| Scout by Karen Hawley | |||
| See you on the River by Josh Harrington | |||
| Sittin' with Sally by Erin Connelly | |||
| Slow Ride by Marci Mangham | |||
| Sometimes the Words Just Come by Liana Mahoney | |||
| The Berry Patch by Heather Northcott | |||
| The King by Jennifer Sirrico | |||
| Understanding my Grandfather by Catt Foy | |||
Young writers, 14 or younger, also demonstrated remarkable insight concerning intergenerational relationships. Here are some of the best entries from talented young authors:
| A Hero from my Past by Joey Oakley |
| Life Changing Photo by Garrett Gosse |
| Once upon a Sunset Walk by Lisa Liang |
| Starlit
Path by By Hannah Bauer |
| The
Amazing Race by Matt Soderberg |
| The Last Storm by Lisa Liang |
| Waiting by Yukiko Mihashi |
Even though this
year's Story Telling Contest is closed, we hope you'll be inspired to write your
own stories. Ideas to inspire and
motivate you might be…
¨
Favorite family stories
handed down from generation to generation
¨ Stories you might tell your child or grandchild....stories a child might share with his/her grandparent.
¨
Stories about
intergeneration care giving and sharing
¨
Create a story from your
imagination that lifts up generations