Carol Stanford, 81, and Eric Shepherd, 22, sat side by side, working on their snowman ornaments.
“Where are we supposed to put the head?” Stanford asked.
“I’m not sure,” Shepherd replied.
The two continued chatting about their progress, figuring out the steps together.
The ornaments were just one of the crafts they completed along with other Trinity Terrace residents and Texas Christian University students. Stanford has lived at the retirement community for eight years, and Shepherd is a TCU neuroscience senior.
They come together for Crafts & Conversations, a regular gathering intended to form connections across generations.
Carol Stanford, left, and Eric Shepherd smile as they talk and work on crafts at Trinity Terrace in Fort Worth on Dec. 7, 2025. (McKinnon Rice | Fort Worth Report)
TCU alumna Annemarie Thompson had the idea for the gathering during the pandemic.
“My grandfather, he lived the end of his life in a nursing home, and he really struggled with loneliness,” she said.
The pandemic made it worse as strict isolation protocols were in place when COVID-19 shut down much of the world, she recalled. Thompson, now a medical student in San Antonio, knew she wanted to help those like her grandfather.
She contacted local nursing homes and retirement communities wanting to help. After an eager response from Trinity Terrace, students and residents began gathering virtually to craft together. Eventually, they started to meet in person.
Over the years they have created Easter baskets, cloth pumpkins and small paintings of hearts.
Trinity Terrace residents and Texas Christian University students made snowman ornaments together at Crafts & Conversations on Dec. 7, 2025. (McKinnon Rice | Fort Worth Report)
The group has grown since it began, said Stanford, who has taken part since the beginning. The visits also include a musical component, with students bringing instruments to play for the residents.
During one particularly memorable meeting, the students requested that activities take place in Trinity Terrace’s ballroom and that a piano be moved there. Soon came a musical surprise.
“As we’re finishing our crafts, they all of a sudden got up, sat down with their instruments and played the Dvořák concerto,” Stanford recalled. “I cried.”
The program brings joy to the lives of the students and residents, they said.
Crafts & Conversations is a relaxing escape from college life for TCU child development senior Alyssa Schexnayder, who has been participating for three years and is one of the current coordinating students.
“I’ve made friends with a ton of people here,” she said, describing the gatherings as calming. “You kind of forget about everything else that’s going on, and you make a mess, and it’s so fun.”
Lidia Paz-Baker, left, and Alyssa Schexnayder work on a snowman’s head together at Crafts & Conversations at Trinity Terrace in Fort Worth on Dec. 7, 2025. (McKinnon Rice | Fort Worth Report)
Trinity Terrace resident Cheryl Brown, 72, does not have children or grandchildren. She said she enjoys spending time with the TCU students as her gateway to a younger generation.
“The most fun is just hanging out with the kids,” she said. “And remembering what it was like to be a college student.”
Craft supplies for the program were previously funded by a community grant from TCU. However, Crafts & Conversations did not receive the grant again.
Wanting the program to continue, the Trinity Terrace board of trustees stepped up to cover the cost. But even if they had not, the residents were willing to do it themselves, Schexnayder said.
“Because the program had been going so long, and we all enjoyed it so much, Cheryl and everyone here kind of worked with us to get the funds to keep it going, so we’re really grateful for that,” she said.
From left, Madeline Green, Lila Golden and Cheryl Brown work on crafts together at Trinity Terrace in Fort Worth on Dec. 7, 2025. (McKinnon Rice | Fort Worth Report)
When Schexnayder graduates in the spring, she will leave Crafts & Conversations behind — something she is sad about — but a new set of students is poised to take the lead next year.
Thompson, for her part, is glad to see that the program is a lasting success.
“It’s just really cool to see that it’s still going on and still strong,” she said. “I’m glad that TCU students are keeping it going.”
McKinnon Rice is the higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at mckinnon.rice@fortworthreport.org.
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