Posted on the WNC Business website on May 18, 2026.
Carolina Village has been named the recipient of the 2026 LeadingAge North Carolina Excellence in Innovation Award for its intergenerational collaboration, “Voices & Visions,” created in partnership with Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (A-B Tech).
The award recognizes innovative programs that enhance the lives of older adults and advance excellence in aging services across North Carolina.
Voices & Visions is an interdisciplinary initiative that places residents at the center of the educational experience, not simply as participants, but as educators, storytellers, and honored collaborators. Through partnerships with A-B Tech’s Communication, Videography, and 2-Dimensional Design departments, the pilot program paired 19 Carolina Village residents with more than 60 students during Fall 2025.
Students conducted in-depth interviews, documented residents’ stories through photography and video, and presented those stories during a final auditorium event attended by residents, faculty, and community leaders. Residents were welcomed as honored guests for a luncheon prepared by culinary students and shared alongside the college president and faculty members.
Art students further translated residents’ stories into painted quilt squares, which residents later transformed into a collaborative “story quilt” during Spring 2026. The completed quilt is expected to be displayed at both A-B Tech, the Asheville Art Museum, and its permanent home, Carolina Village.
“This program beautifully demonstrates the power of intergenerational connection,” said Aleen Dailey, Wellness Coordinator at Carolina Village, whose collaboration was instrumental in the project. “Our residents felt deeply seen, heard, and valued, while students gained a life-changing perspective on aging, storytelling, and human connection.”
The impact of the program extended far beyond the classroom. One student described the experience as “the most impactful experience of my life so far.” Several student-resident relationships have continued beyond the project through ongoing visits, emails, and friendships.
Among the many memorable moments:
- A resident with no living family gifted her wedding dress to her student partner after forming a close bond.
- Students surprised another resident with Mickey ears after learning she had regretted never getting a pair during a childhood trip to Disney World.
- Art students who initially expressed nervousness about meeting older adults later described residents using words like “lively,” “adventurous,” and “joyful.”
As a pilot initiative, Voices and Visions was intentionally designed to be sustainable and replicable. By integrating resident engagement directly into existing coursework, the program creates meaningful outcomes without requiring significant additional staffing or financial resources. Following the success of the first year, A-B Tech faculty in History and Nursing have already expressed interest in joining future iterations of the collaboration.
Carolina Village hopes the program will inspire other senior living communities to develop similar intergenerational partnerships that enrich quality of life, challenge stereotypes about aging, and build lasting community connections.