A quarter of seniors 65 and older report feeling lonely and, according to the American College Health Association, about two and half times that many college students report feeling the same way. In part because of the pandemic, loneliness among high school and college students is at record highs.

That’s where DOROT comes in. DOROT is a nonprofit aimed at alleviating social isolation. One of their programs is called GENuine connections that pairs older adults and teens.

On Wellness Monday, Mark Meridy, DOROT’s executive director and Adele Dressner, one of the program’s participants, joined “News All Day” to talk more about the program.

Dressner says that being part of the program, you find out that there are very few differences between young and old people.

Meridy notes that people from different backgrounds are able to find commonality both in-person and virtually. And if people feel isolated and alone, volunteering actually helps raise a person’s level of engagement and gives them the feeling that they’re part of a community.

Through DOROT, Meridy says there’s any opportunity to learn from one another and benefit from friendship and the sharing of life’s experiences.

For more information and to sign up, go to DOROTUSA.org.