{"id":6344,"date":"2021-05-17T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-17T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/?p=6344"},"modified":"2021-05-07T14:36:00","modified_gmt":"2021-05-07T18:36:00","slug":"somebody-to-lean-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/2021\/05\/17\/somebody-to-lean-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Somebody to Lean On"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Different generations support each other through the course of life. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As the plane ascended into the sky, Sian-Pierre Regis \u201906, H\u201918 gripped his mom\u2019s hand while they nervously smiled into the breeze from the open door. In mere minutes, Regis and his 76-year-old mother, Rebecca Danigelis, would jump into the clouds at 12,000 feet over Oahu. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHere we come, sky \u2026 and earth,\u201d she\u2019d said in her English accent, walking toward the plane earlier.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two had arisen at dawn that Wednesday in January 2018 to check off the final item on her bucket list. As she did every day, Danigelis smoothed her blond wisps into a carefully constructed updo. Regis teased her that she needn\u2019t worry about her hair because she\u2019d be falling at 120 miles per hour. \u201cHair always matters,\u201d she retorted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sian-Pierre<\/a>
Photo by Laura Barisonzi<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In these scenes and others throughout Duty Free<\/em> \u2014 Regis\u2019 documentary that follows the duo as Danigelis completes her bucket list \u2014 the audience gets an intimate look into their relationship. The film also provides food for thought on a vital topic: ageism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danigelis is the focal point, and she is frequently shown preparing herself for the day: brushing her hair atop her head, carefully applying her makeup, and straightening her clothing. Similarly, Duty Free<\/em> shows how she took pride in her employment as a housekeeping supervisor at a Boston hotel, inspecting every inch of a room to ensure perfection. \u201cIt\u2019s a hard job, but it\u2019s a very rewarding job because you take things that look like nothing and make them look great,\u201d she says in the film. \u201cMartin Luther King summed it up best,\u201d she added, referencing King\u2019s famous quote: \u201cIf a man is called to be a street sweeper\u2026 He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, \u2018Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 A year and a half before she and Regis leapt out of that tiny aircraft in Hawaii, Danigelis began sensing a shift in how she was treated at work \u2014 which she suspects was due to her age. Her employer started reassigning her duties to younger employees, and she was written up for her \u201ctone,\u201d despite a previously spotless employment record. \u201cMy value in their eyes is diminished,\u201d Danigelis says in Duty Free<\/em>. \u201cShe felt she was being pushed out,\u201d Regis remembers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having dedicated 12 years of her 40-year career to the company, she considered her coworkers to be like family. And she\u2019d raised her real family \u2014 Regis and his brother \u2014 in their compact apartment six floors above the hotel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While his mom was working in Boston, Regis was a CNN contributor in New York City and running Swagger.NYC, an online cultural magazine for millennials. It came as a shock to them both when she was fired, given only two weeks\u2019 pay, and told she was allowed to stay one remaining year in the apartment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pride that usually shone through Danigelis was dampened. \u201cI feel dispensable, and that\u2019s something I\u2019ve never felt before,\u201d she says in the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"an<\/a>
Illustration by Angelo Dolojan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Regis, it was a no-brainer to take action. \u201cI had an emotional, visceral reaction to uplift her,\u201d he says. She\u2019d always supported him \u2014 including using her savings for his Colgate education in sociology and anthropology \u2014 so he wanted to thank her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 32, Regis put his career on hold and devised a plan. \u201cI had this crazy idea\u2026 I could take her on this bucket-list adventure to do all the things she couldn\u2019t do while she was working, that she put to the side for these people who didn\u2019t care about her.\u201d To enlist financial support \u2014 for both their adventures and the film he\u2019d started documenting as soon as she began calling him with work concerns \u2014 Regis launched a Kickstarter campaign on Mother\u2019s Day in 2017, raising $60,000. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Media outlets from ABC News to the New York Times<\/em> to People<\/em> magazine covered the story. It even got picked up abroad. \u201cAgeism is mostly an American concept, but connecting with other people is universal,\u201d Regis says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Duty Free<\/em> \u2014 which premiered this Mother\u2019s Day \u2014 is a \u201cbuddy film,\u201d where he\u2019s the Robin to her Batman, Regis jokes. It follows Danigelis as she learns hip-hop dancing, milks a cow, and reunites with relatives in England whom she hasn\u2019t seen in years. In Danigelis\u2019 darker moments, it also shines a light on hardships that older Americans can encounter, such as economic insecurity and age barriers to employment (e.g., technology, stigma). Through it all, Regis is by her side. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was an amazing experience because of how much time we\u2019ve spent together,\u201d he says in Duty Free<\/em>. \u201cOne thing that\u2019s been a realization for me is the importance of having advocates \u2026 everyone needs an advocate to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regis was named a 2020 Influencer in Aging by Next Avenue. (\u201cMy mom is the real influencer,\u201d Regis contends.) Danigelis moved into his New York City apartment, and the two are launching an impact and engagement campaign to support caregivers who are less fortunate. They\u2019re using the film as a catalyst to talk to policy makers about this issue. On a personal level, the mom-son duo has heard from people around the world who identify with Danigelis because their employers forced them into early retirement or laid them off late in life. \u201cMy mom\u2019s story was more universal than we could have ever imagined,\u201d Regis says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caring for Grandchildren<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

More than 65 million people in the United States provide care for a chronically ill, disabled, or aged family member or friend during any given year, according to the National Alliance for Caregiving in collaboration with AARP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Ynesse Abdul-Malak<\/a> has been focusing her research on a segment of this group that hasn\u2019t gained much attention: grandparents caring for their grandchildren who have disabilities. Parents, when confronted with a lack of childcare options, often turn to their own parents for help. In the recently released book Grandparenting Children with Disabilities<\/em>, Abdul-Malak and her coauthor interviewed 50 grandparents \u201cto see how having grandchildren with disabilities affects grandparenting itself,\u201d she explains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a sociologist, Abdul-Malak conducted this qualitative research to understand how these grandparents\u2019 caregiving commitment is affecting them financially, socially, emotionally, and physically. For most, the experience elicits mixed emotions of enjoying the time they\u2019re spending with their grandchildren and also handling the strain it puts on them personally. One difficulty is having to provide medicalized care for which they\u2019re not trained and that is outside typical childcare responsibilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Illustration<\/a>
Illustration by Angelo Dolojan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The solution, she asserts, is improving U.S. policy to offer more support. \u201cWe know that childhood disability has been increasing recently,\u201d Abdul-Malak says. One reason for this is because there is more awareness about disability, so kids are more likely to be diagnosed. But, she adds, \u201cthe federal government as well as employers are not providing benefits to help families respond to the issue of having a grandchild or a child with disability. There is no safety net.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This research is Abdul-Malak\u2019s latest project as a life course scholar. She studies how the structures that are in place from birth impact a person\u2019s life and the aging process. A large portion of her work has involved talking to immigrants about their home countries, the socioeconomic status they were born into, and their move to the United States, all in order to see how those factors have translated into their current life situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For her 2016 coedited book Grandparenting in the U.S.<\/em>, Abdul-Malak interviewed immigrant grandparents. The topic is personal: Abdul-Malak\u2019s mom, with whom she emigrated from Haiti, died young, at age 51. \u201cI could see how my mom was always tired\u2026 She was always working a couple of jobs and providing childcare to her grandchildren,\u201d Abdul-Malak says. \u201cAfter her death, I became quite intrigued in understanding immigrants\u2019 health in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Regis\u2019 mom, who is also an immigrant, Abdul-Malak\u2019s mother worked as a housekeeper who endured stress due to economic insecurity. \u201cI could see the struggle she went through during her short lifespan,\u201d Abdul-Malak says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are one of the richest countries in the world, and we do not provide the kind of care that families need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intergenerational Parallels<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What does a senior in college have in common with a senior citizen? More than you\u2019d think, according to another Colgate life course scholar, Professor Meika Loe<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Issues around independence and autonomy, finding purpose, and vulnerability can cause anxiety for both of these groups, she says. \u201cYou have college graduates who are ready to launch into the world, and you have senior citizens who are redefining themselves in pretty dramatic ways. That invention or reinvention process has a fascinating similarity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loe first heard anecdotal evidence of this when she started pairing students with local elders as part of her class titled Sociology of the Life Course. \u201c[The students] came back with stories about very similar struggles in their lives,\u201d she says. \u201cThese are chapters of life that are parallel in some ways, that speak to one another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those similarities also emerge as the professor considers her previous research in relation to her new project. For her 2011 book, Aging Our Way: Lessons for Living from 85 and Beyond<\/em>, Loe interviewed 30 elders about creating meaning and purpose as they lived on their own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Professor<\/a>
Professor Meika Loe shows a photo of herself with her grandfather at a Reunion College event on aging.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In many cases, Loe says, those elders felt isolated and vulnerable, emotions that have been amplified for senior citizens \u2014 and numerous college students \u2014 during the pandemic. Last fall, she put out a nationwide call for students to participate in her five-year study on young adults in flux. She\u2019ll be interviewing them a few times a year to find out how they\u2019re navigating work, home, health care, relationships, and identity. \u201cWe hear so much about young adults dealing with anxiety and depression \u2014 and it\u2019s real,\u201d Loe says. There are challenges with finding employment, for one. And they\u2019re \u201cexperiencing this cumulative grief with the loss of rituals in their lives, like graduation or prom \u2026 these milestones they\u2019ve had to skip and the sacrifices they\u2019re making.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the commonalities between her two research groups, Loe has asked herself, \u201cHow do I support them?\u201d All of the elders from her previous study have died, but \u201cI still feel their presence in my life,\u201d she says. The granddaughter of one woman, who lived to 104, recently told Loe that she has been listening to the recorded interviews and loves hearing her grandmother\u2019s voice. Another woman\u2019s granddaughter called Loe to request copies of the book for the great-grandchildren. \u201cFor these families, being able to have their elders\u2019 stories clearly mattered,\u201d Loe says. \u201cThat\u2019s a beautiful thing [for these relatives] to be in touch with them [that way] and also to know that they lived and died with dignity.\u201d At the time she was interviewing the elders, Loe was caring for her grandfather, which gives her a deeper empathy when she communicates with these grandchildren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, some of the intergenerational connections that Loe\u2019s made through her Sociology of the Life Course continue (as does the class). Several graduates who have moved away still keep in touch with the elders they met in Hamilton. Loe describes the partnerships as symbiotic: \u201cThey share their vulnerabilities with each other in a way that you\u2019d never imagine\u2026  [With] peers, it\u2019s almost like there are rules for interaction with people in our same age group. There\u2019s something about being with someone of a different age group where you can really open up and create that level of intimacy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Professor Meika Loe, Ariel Sherry \u201915, and Evan Chartier \u201914 coauthored a chapter titled \u201cAgeism: Stereotypes, Causes, Effects, and Counter-Movements\u201d in the textbook Gerontology: Changes, Challenges, and Solutions<\/em> (Praeger, 2016).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more, read Loe’s “Lessons in Living (and Dying)<\/a>.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Leaving a Legacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Those who knew Ruth Hartshorne, the widow of philosophy<\/a> and religion<\/a> professor Marion Holmes Hartshorne, probably remember the sign on her Hamilton door: \u201cFriends! Ring the doorbell, open the door, and holler! If I\u2019m asleep, please wake me up! I\u2019d rather have a visit from you than a nap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ruth, who died at age 103 in 2016, was included in Loe\u2019s Aging Our Way<\/em> and was also one of the elders whom Ariel Sherry \u201915 would visit while she was a student. \u201cI had more friends over the age of 90 while I was in college than most people do in their lifetimes,\u201d quips Sherry, who took Loe\u2019s Sociology of the Life Course and participated in the Adopt-A-Grandparent student group. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sherry fondly looks back on partnering with a woman named Betty for Loe\u2019s class and finding inspiration in another older friend, Charlotte, who often boasted that she had no regrets in life. \u201cThese women had amazing perspectives and stories to share,\u201d Sherry says, \u201cand that\u2019s something I always felt from my grandma \u2014 she was the wisest person I knew.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the fourth grade, Sherry had to complete a biography project. Instead of choosing to write about Hillary or Oprah, she wrote about Audrey \u2014 that is, Audrey Goldstein, her grandmother. Goldstein\u2019s cancer had just returned for the second time, and \u201cshe was so positive in the face of this challenge,\u201d Sherry says. \u201cShe was this larger-than-life personality, so optimistic, and ended up living two years longer than her doctor thought she was going to. I credit that to her outlook.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Women<\/a>
Illustration by Angelo Dolojan<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Toward the end of Goldstein\u2019s life, she wrote a legacy letter to her grandchildren, providing points of wisdom \u201c[so we would] have her guidance, even when she wasn\u2019t around,\u201d Sherry says. \u201cIt\u2019s the best gift I\u2019ve ever received.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her grandmother\u2019s end of life shaped Sherry\u2019s beliefs about this stage: \u201cThe general population tends to view [the subject of] death and dying negatively and tries to avoid it. I think it\u2019s in our best interest to embrace it and reflect on it. Because when we do, it gives us more clarity on what matters now and can shape how we live our lives so that we\u2019re living in accordance with our values,\u201d says the psychology <\/a>and religion major.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Sherry took Sociology of the Life Course, she read Dr. Atul Gawande\u2019s New Yorker<\/em> article \u201cLetting Go,\u201d in which he talks about improving the health care system to help dying patients achieve what\u2019s most important to them. \u201cPeople who had substantive discussions with their doctor about their end-of-life preferences were far more likely to die at peace and in control of their situation, and to spare their family anguish,\u201d Gawande wrote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat article was my turning point,\u201d Sherry says. \u201cHe was saying exactly what I knew but didn\u2019t know how to say about how end of life can be better if we focus on quality of life and what matters most to people. I thought, \u2018That\u2019s what I want to be part of.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Sherry still has her hard copy of that article \u2014 and she is senior product manager at Cake, the largest end-of-life platform, used by 25 million people a year. As such, her role involves research and talking with users in order to inform engineers who build solutions, resources, and tools. Cake\u2019s goal is to help people navigate mortality, from the initial idea of becoming more comfortable thinking about death, to answering questions about end of life, to planning. \u201cOur mission is to help everyone have a good death, because we think that is, at least in some ways, attainable for everyone if they prepare,\u201d she says. End-of-life planning is not only for older adults, Sherry asserts. \u201cWe have a tremendous number of users who are millennials. This applies to everyone, and it\u2019s never too early to start thinking about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making plans in advance can not only save people\u2019s families from arguing over arrangements, but it can also lead to a more powerful experience for the family \u2014 like the legacy letter Audrey Goldstein wrote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are so many options out there, and there are many nontraditional things people are doing,\u201d Sherry says. \u201cIt can have a profound and lasting impact on your family and loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ariel Sherry \u201915 is vice president of Boston Bridge, a nonprofit that connects emerging professionals in the field of aging.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Alzheimer\u2019s Assistance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At first, there were minor incidents: jumbled communication, missed appointments, forgetting to make dinner. \u201cWe all started noticing small things that were just a little bit off,\u201d Leda Rosenthal \u201918 says. Then, when Leda took a high school graduation trip to Europe with her mom, Eva, there was \u201ca big red flag.\u201d They\u2019d landed in Frankfurt and planned to drive the six hours to Prague to stay with family. \u201cWhere do they live?\u201d Leda asked. Eva responded, \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At age 57, Eva was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer\u2019s disease. \u201cTypically, when you get that diagnosis, the disease has already progressed enough that you\u2019re noticing changes, which leads the individual to go to the doctor,\u201d Leda says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wanting to find ways to help, she Googled technologies that could address some of her mom\u2019s problems, like a reminder to turn off the stove. \u201cArticles were out of date,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd there was a ton of jargon; it wasn\u2019t easy to find reliable, digestible information. Family caregivers are already exhausted and overwhelmed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Colgate, through the Thought Into Action (TIA)<\/a> program, Leda developed a solution. Her venture, Alz You Need, is a technology discovery platform that makes it easy for caregivers to find the best technologies to support their caregiving needs. On the site, users spend about five minutes answering questions about the person they\u2019re caregiving for, their proximity to that person, their technology capabilities, and day-to-day challenges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An<\/a>
Illustration by Angelo Dolojan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t go to the doctor and say, \u2018I need XYZ medication\u2019; you talk about your problems, not solutions,\u201d Leda says. \u201cAnd I thought when discovering technology, it should be exactly that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alz You Need informs users about available options like automatic pill dispensers, a tablet for older adults called GrandPad, and clocks that remind Alzheimer\u2019s patients to do something at a specific time of day. \u201cTechnology can support day-to-day tasks, cognitive engagement, and health tracking in a variety of ways,\u201d Leda says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2016, she received $15,000 from the TIA Entrepreneur\u2019s Fund and spent the summer in Hamilton developing the platform. Alumni mentors in the program helped fill knowledge gaps about strategy, customer acquisition, and a marketing plan. \u201cThose relationships were critical because they gave me a set of eyes and thought partners in an area of expertise I hadn\u2019t developed yet; when you\u2019re 19, trying to build something, it\u2019s so trial by error.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toward the end of her senior year, Leda signed an offer with LinkedIn for a rotational business program, but she had six months between graduation and its start. She dedicated those months to furthering Alz You Need, with the support of three Colgate interns. Speaking engagements gave Leda the opportunity to spread the word and build her customer base. Ever since, she\u2019s maintained the venture as a lifestyle business. \u201cI\u2019ve continued to keep the database up to date so I can make sure families are finding valuable technologies,\u201d she says. In an average month, there are approximately 400 users on the site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eva is now 62 and has progressed into the later stages of the disease. Over the years, Leda has used her platform to find solutions for the problems they\u2019ve faced, such as Eva\u2019s wandering. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The disease has taken an emotional toll on their small nuclear family. For Leda\u2019s dad (the \u201cCaregiver in Chief,\u201d as he\u2019s referred to on the company\u2019s website), there are feelings of isolation as he watches his wife change. For Leda and her brother, \u201cit\u2019s flipped the script of going from child to parent; those roles have reversed in terms of responsibilities,\u201d she says. The two serve as their dad\u2019s sounding board for making tough decisions. And then there\u2019s just \u201cbeing there to love our mom and spend time with our mom in whatever form that looks like, which is always changing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Families need to be in a position to support their loved ones, as Sherry points out. In Leda\u2019s case, her mom was relatively young, and they didn\u2019t have a plan in place. But for her dad, they have \u201cevery scenario mapped out, papers in order, power of attorney,\u201d Leda says. \u201cThat allows you to make better decisions in real time when things do happen,\u201d she adds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday\u2019s youth have to think about how we want to age. Our decisions now and us using our voices have the biggest impact on that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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LifeLong Learning in Hamilton is a community-based program, sponsored by Colgate\u2019s Upstate Institute, that provides adults with ongoing education. Spring programming tackled subjects including traditional Chinese medicine, political conflicts tied to religious conflicts, and New York City history.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Radical Contributions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sandy MacKinnon grew up above the Red & White shop in Bouckville, N.Y., in the \u201940s. Her dad owned the grocery store, through which MacKinnon sold second-hand clothes to the migrant workers from the local farms. Seventy years later, MacKinnon owned her own store nearby, in Hamilton, selling thrift clothing, knickknacks, and knitted goods. In this shop, she and Evan Chartier \u201914 spent hours chatting about life, knitting, and World War II. \u201cI found it interesting as a Jewish person to hear her stories about the war,\u201d says Chartier, who became friends with MacKinnon when he was a student in Loe\u2019s Sociology of the Life Course. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the class, each student created a digital storytelling project with their elderly partners. In the video \u201cA Life of Love and Friendship During World War II,\u201d MacKinnon remembers air raid drills, food rationing, and competing with other kids to find the largest tin foil ball (scrap drives collected foil, which was used to make explosives). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MacKinnon died last October from COVID-19, a devastating end after fighting breast cancer for 20 years. Chartier had kept in touch with her and planned to visit last year but couldn\u2019t because of the pandemic. He\u2019s recently been in touch with her family (who invited him to visit them in Montana) and hopes that MacKinnon\u2019s story can live on through her video. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
Illustration by Angelo Dolojan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Chartier spent half of last year in Jerusalem, caring for his mom as she underwent chemotherapy for stage four lymphoma. Like Regis, he grew up in a close-knit trio with his mother and brother. \u201cMy mom has been the core person in my life; it was an easy decision to go take care of her.\u201d His mom, Sylvia, worked in elder care, aiding a woman with early onset Alzheimer\u2019s, right up until the day she started chemotherapy (only stopping upon her doctor\u2019s insistence). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sylvia\u2019s in remission, and Chartier has returned to building his tiny house \u2014 and caring community \u2014 in Craftsbury Common, Vt. \u201cThe people out here are used to doing things on their own: they\u2019re farmers, they\u2019re homesteaders, they\u2019re folks who have built their own houses,\u201d he says. \u201cEveryone here is self-sustaining.\u201d But many of Chartier\u2019s community members are getting older. \u201cVermont has a really aging population, so there\u2019s an opportunity for folks to pitch in and help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through his initiative called Simple Projects, Radical Politics, Chartier wants to \u201cchange the world, one project at a time\u201d by meeting community needs while creating alternative economies. To assist retired couple Kelly and Randy, Chartier has done brush hogging on their 100 acres, house sitting so they could take their first vacation in 30 years, and he\u2019ll remodel the back of their house this spring. For George and Rachel, who live on the other side of the mountain, he took care of their water buffalo for a few days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In exchange, Chartier will barter, work under the gift economy idea, and\/or receive small payments that he\u2019ll use to sustain himself or pay it forward. \u201cI come from a low-income background, so I\u2019m really good at making do with not a lot of money,\u201d he says. After he built a pole bean trellis for Jennifer, she paid him with pottery she\u2019d made. Recently, he fixed a washing machine for Lynette \u2014 a costly repair that would motivate most people to buy a new one. He fixed the appliance in exchange for some plants and a small payment. \u201cIf I can keep a washing machine out of the landfill, then I would like to do that, even if it means I\u2019m working for free,\u201d he says. That\u2019s where the \u201cradical politics\u201d comes in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another facet of that ideal involves Chartier finding creative ways to support social justice (an area he has focused on as both a women\u2019s studies<\/a> and sociology<\/a> major as well as his previous leadership position at Northeastern University). Last year, he was hired by a prestigious New York City high school to facilitate an affinity space for white students as part of an anti-racism initiative. With his earnings, he \u201cchose to redistribute institutional wealth by donating my payment to an organization near the school created by and for LGBTQ people of color,\u201d he explains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chartier and his partner, Mary, have lived in Vermont since they decided in 2019 that they wanted to be present for their 9- and 11-year-old nieces. \u201cWe made significant decisions to be near the young people in our lives because we want to be part of helping raise them into adulthood,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His foundation is built on family and a strong sense of community. Growing up, his mom was a childcare provider, and the kids she took care of are still his best friends. Also, his family experienced housing insecurity, so he moved 11 times before the age of 18. He often relied on staying with friends\u2019 families \u2014 \u201cwhich means that I\u2019m not only really close with these folks who are my age, but I\u2019m also really close with their parents\u201d \u2014 and he spent a few years in his great-aunt\u2019s assisted living facility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now he\u2019s created more extended family and community in his rural Vermont home. Kelly and Randy, for example, say they formed \u201can instant connection and trust\u201d when meeting Chartier. \u201cHis youthful outlook and thoughts on issues and projects is refreshing and motivating to us,\u201d Kelly says. \u201cWe both feel very fortunate to have found Evan, and he became more than a helper. He became our friend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Colgate Magazine<\/em> asked some older alumni to consider this thought experiment: <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you wrote an autobiography, what would its title be? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s for Dessert?\u201d <\/strong>\u2014 Paul Beardslee \u201959, age 83<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLeaving the Campground\u201d <\/strong>\u2014 Dave Kluge \u201950, age 92, says: This is \u201cfrom an old Boy Scout tradition; leave the campground better than you found it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLearning and Weaving\u201d <\/strong>\u2014 Bob Woodruff \u201958, age 84<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood Luck Plays a Big Role in Life\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Robert Youker \u201955, age 87, explains: \u201cA connection with a Colgate classmate at a University of California football game totally changed my 3 years in the Navy and probably helped me get accepted in Harvard Business School.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPatterns Through Time: An Ethnographer\u2019s Quest and Journey\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Norm Whitten Jr. \u201959, age 83<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMusic, An Avocation\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Scott Werner \u201959, age 83<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA Gift \u2013 A Life of Gratitude\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Tom Cushing \u201956, age 85<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom Vicenarian to Nonagenarian\u201d <\/strong>\u2014 Richard Bamberger \u201951, age 91<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA Good Life as a Foreign Correspondent: From Nazi Germany to America and Back to the New Europe\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Axel Krause \u201956, age 87<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFinding a Way to Win\u201d <\/strong>\u2014 Fred Dunlap \u201950, age 92 (former Colgate head football coach and athletics director)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGo, \u2019Gate\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Jack Goodreds \u201956, age 86<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy Story With the People Who Passed My Way.\u201d <\/strong>\u2014 Earl Signer \u201959, age 84<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA Life Shaped by Forty-Five Years of College\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Brad Tufts \u201959, age 83<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCount your Blessings\u201d <\/strong>\u2014 Stephen Palmer \u201959, age 84<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat a Ride \u2014 Mutterings of a 100-Year-Older\u201d <\/strong>\u2014 Ken Seyffer \u201943, age 100<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To support different generations, Colgate alumni and professors tackle agism, policy barriers, and end of life preparation. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1210,"featured_media":6365,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,10],"tags":[666,354,249,68,399,260,315],"coauthors":[128],"class_list":["post-6344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-alumni-updates","category-features","tag-ageism","tag-alumni","tag-faculty","tag-health","tag-professors","tag-sociology","tag-tia"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/palXSH-1Ek","amp_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/05\/Colgate-Sian_Rebecca-FInal-feature.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1210"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6344"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10680,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6344\/revisions\/10680"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6344"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=6344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}