In this age of e-mails, texting, and Facebook, it is reassuring to know that the time-honored practice of handwriting letters is not lost.

In fact, a recent pen pal project pairing fifth-graders from the Blue Valley School District's Mission Trail Elementary School and residents of Village Shalom, a continuing-care retirement community in Overland Park, did more than revive the art of correspondence; it fostered some new intergenerational relationships.

The project was the brainchild of Kerri George, a Mission Trail parent who also is the school's community service co-chair. About 25 students volunteered early in the school year to participate in the project, which required that they give up one recess per month to write letters to their assigned pen pal at Village Shalom. The seniors at Village Shalom responded in kind with accounts of their activities, interests, and life stories.

"With today's technology, kids don't really write letters anymore," commented George. "This gave them a chance to experience that way of communicating."

The project culminated in a pizza-and-crafts party at Village Shalom in early May. George noted that although the students could have met their pen pals at any time during the year, they all waited until the party to make the face-to-face connection.

The personal encounters reinforced the relationships they had already established through their letter exchange. Gregory Hassler, 11, and Rose Stolowy, who recently turned 100, already knew they had things in common. Gregory was born in Russia and adopted at 16 months of age by his American family. Rose's parents-in-law were from Poland.

"So we were sort of neighbors, in a way," Gregory believed.

Neither Gregory nor Rose had ever had a pen pal before, but they each took to the nine-month project readily.

"It wasn't hard to think of things to write," Gregory said. "I'd always tell her something about me, and then she'd write back something about herself. I really liked learning about her family."

Rose also relished the experience.

"It's so interesting to hear about his family," she said. "I haven't had young kids like that for a long time."

Gregory so enjoyed developing his relationship with Rose through their correspondence that he is contemplating becoming a volunteer at Village Shalom. Perhaps he and Rose will continue to exchange letters, as well.

Said Gregory, "I liked doing this better than recess."