Legacy Builders
Volunteers and University students, known as Legacy Builders, connect with older adults living in-home, or in retirement communities, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities via in-person, phone or through virtual visits. The discussions focus on building rapport and providing a sense of hope, while also allowing the older adult to impart wisdom and share stories of their past with the students. A digital or physical legacy book is provided back to the older adult at the end of the sessions.
What our students are saying on
“Becoming a Legacy Builder”…
Why Tellegacy was started?
Why Tellegacy was started?
In 2020, after hearing from a community chaplain that many older adults were experiencing increased isolation from family and friends, Jeremy Holloway, PhD, decided to create a flexible, relationship-oriented mindfulness, goal setting and guided imagery curriculum grounded in mindfulness practices, guided imagery, and goal setting. Today the program brings legacy across generations. The design allows university students to connect one-on-one with older adults in person, by phone, or through virtual meetings. These visits support residents in nursing homes, assisted living settings, and retirement communities and healthcare students by creating consistent social engagement opportunities. Since its development, the award-winning program has been implemented by more than seventy-five universities and senior organizations across the United States and Canada.
Dr. Jeremy Holloway
Dr. Jeremy Holloway
Dr. Jeremy Holloway, PhD, MBA, is the Founder and Director of Tellegacy and a North Dakota-based community-health leader, researcher, and educator focused on intergenerational healthy aging, social connection, and Social Determinants of Health.
A former Assistant Professor and Director of Geriatric Education at the University of North Dakota, Dr. Holloway has developed health-promotion and workforce-learning approaches that connect research with the everyday experiences of older adults, students, healthcare professionals, and communities.
He developed Tellegacy’s intergenerational curriculum to strengthen meaningful connection, purpose, self-efficacy, and age-friendly practice through structured conversation, life-story engagement, reminiscence, growth mindset, mindfulness, and goal setting. The program also helps students and emerging professionals develop the communication skills and understanding needed to serve aging populations well.
Rooted in North Dakota, Tellegacy serves and collaborates with universities, healthcare organizations, senior-serving agencies, and community partners across the United States and Canada. Dr. Holloway’s broader work centers on a practical goal: helping communities create environments where older adults remain connected, valued, heard, and able to share what matters most.
