youth

“It’s good to be alive!” declared a tearful Michael Douglas, the guest of honor at our Movies for Grownups Gala Countdown luncheon in New York on Thursday. Douglas — who told us he’s still cancer-free five years after being diagnosed with tongue cancer — attended with his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Some people take a fitness class before heading to work. Others jog a mile or two. Jennifer Kenealy, 45, gets her morning workout by hauling boxes of children’s books to schools, recreation centers, youth-focused nonprofit organizations and other sites. These are spots where children of low-income families congregate as part of Alexandria Book Shelf (ABS), a citywide literacy program run by the uber-creative DreamDog Foundation.

“What can the very young and the very old offer each other, if given the chance?”

Peace of mind: That’s one quality of life that none of us can buy. And there’s nothing that gives us more peace of mind than to know that our beloved children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews are safe and happy. But, lately, a string of news stories about police shootings of unarmed black men has made us a little more uneasy.

While the fond memories of family and festivities are still fresh enough to make us smile, let’s commit to spending time with family, friends and loved ones beyond the holidays. And, in the year ahead, let’s not forget to specifically spend time with young people.

If you could skip through time and live forever at a certain point in life, what age would it be? Given our traditionally youth-obsessed culture and penchant for nostalgia, you might guess that most Americans would choose to be perpetual teenagers.

Remember those pictures of the late Michael Jackson sleeping in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber in the 1980s in an effort to stay youthful? It didn't work for him, sadly. But that hasn't kept other celebrities from dabbling in exotic methods of reinvigoration.

Bad drivers.

This is a guest post by Silvia Blitzer Golombek, PhD. Silvia is the Senior Vice President of Youth Service America and oversees the development and implementation of all programs and initiatives.