St. Charles North High School senior Reese Thomas’ Connect More Club has certainly done just that.

One viral social media video later, thousands of high schoolers across the country have taken her idea and run with it, connecting with local senior communities to bond over a friendly match, and a little time together.

When Thomas, 17, founded the club her sophomore year, she never expected it would gain this much traction. But her idea has been adopted by more than 300 schools in over 35 states so far this year.

Connect More is a volunteer-based club at North High School. Its members visit local assisted living facilities and nursing homes every Sunday morning to play Connect Four with the residents.

The club alternates between two facilities in St. Charles, Brighton Gardens and River Glen.

Thomas decided to test the concept with a group of friends. She said it was when they were leaving the trial run and were overcome with emotions that she first realized the impact the club could have.

“By the time the hour was up and we were in the parking lot, almost all of my friends, including myself, were in tears,” Thomas said. “It was such a wholesome and moving experience.”

The concept

Thomas said the idea for the club came to her freshman year. She founded it as a sophomore. It wasn’t until the summer before her senior year that the club began to expand rapidly.

Thomas said the concept came from a tradition at her family reunions.

Thomas has a large extended family, including many relatives who live far away. When they gather annually in the Wisconsin Dells, they always host a Connect Four tournament. Every family member plays.

“Since everyone in my family is kind of scattered across the country and I don’t get to see them very often, being able to sit down and play gave me an opportunity to have conversations with family members that I never see,” Thomas said. “I learned so many things about them and felt like I got know them so much better.”

Thomas watched her younger cousins competing with her grandparents. She noticed how sitting down to play a game can transcend generations, foster connections and spark conversations that maybe not have happened otherwise.

“I thought about how much my grandparents love seeing everyone in the family just talking with each other,” she said.

The impact

Thomas said the club focuses on building connections over gameplay. Any game will do, she said, but she favored Connect Four because of her family’s tradition and for its simplicity.

“Knowing that a lot of residents don’t have families in the area who can visit very often, I just thought it would be a great way to share that feeling with them,” Thomas said. “Just to see people so much younger and be surrounded by a new group of people that they don’t see every day, I think makes an impact.”

While some residents seem to love competing, others enjoy socializing more. Thomas said she often sees students and residents so engaged in conversation that they don’t even play the game.

“Even though there’s an age gap, the conversations we have with these residents are so amazing and intriguing,” Thomas said. “Everyone leaves just feeling so fulfilled. It’s an amazing start to the week. I look forward to it every Sunday.”

Brighton Gardens Activity Coordinator Ann Beach said intergenerational connections at the Connect More Club are important to residents.

“Any time you can reach out to different generations in the community, it can only be a positive impact for everybody involved,” Beach said. “I could tell by talking to Reese and the fact that she wanted to connect with seniors, that she was very responsible.”

With the facilities on board and an eventual school approval, the Connect More Club held its first event in fall 2023.

Since then, 55 high school students have joined at least one club meeting, with around 20 participants on average on week.

While the participating students vary, about 10 to 15 residents participate in the club weekly, Thomas said. She’s even got some regulars who never miss a Sunday competition.

Beach said the club quickly became a popular event at Brighton Gardens. She estimated more than 30 residents have joined at least one event.

“The residents really look forward to the students coming, so it’s very easy to get them to come to the Connect More events,” Beach said. “The conversations that they have are wonderful. They’re sharing experiences, and the students will ask all kinds of questions.”

Beach said residents often see various community groups. But none as consistent as the Connect More Club. The club always brings up the noise level – in a good way – and residents talk about their experience even after students leave.

Has the club accomplished its goal to connect with facility residents?

“Absolutely,” Beach said. “Even more so than I ever anticipated.”

Beach said one resident, Lynn Schwartz, never misses a Connect More event and is always the first one there on Sunday mornings, waiting for the club members.

Schwartz described herself as an ’81-years-young’ mother of two and grandmother of four. She has lived at Brighton Gardens for two years, and said she likes to keep active.

“I like to be out of my room, doing things and going places,” Schwartz said. “I’m not a couch potato.”

Schwartz said she doesn’t play Connect Four because she prefers a game that makes her think. Instead, she opts for Rummikub, a tile-based game that she has taught several of her fellow residents and club members to play.

The club most recently visited Brighton Gardens on Oct. 5 and, per usual, Schwartz was waiting for them with the game already set up. She said while she loves playing games, she also enjoys the conversations and visiting with the club members, who seem to always have her laughing.

“I love young people,” Schwartz said. “Yesterday we were playing and these two girls had me laughing hysterically. I always seem to be the one that’s laughing the most.”

Schwartz described Thomas as kind, happy and ‘a mover and a shaker.’ She said the club always brings a bunch of different faces to play, all of whom are delightful young boys and girls.

“Reese is just a very delightful young lady,” Schwartz said. “She’s bubbly and sweet and she’s very pretty. She seems to be somebody that a lot of people want to be around. She has a lot of friends, she’s very personable and I really enjoy her company.”

Schwartz said she and the other residents love when the club comes to visit because it serves as an outlet for both the residents to keep active and the students to stay out of trouble.

“They seem to feel right at home. When some of the girls come back, they’ll run to give me a hug, and I like that,” Schwartz said. “Hugs are therapy for old people… And they seem to have a good time, because a lot of them come back. It’s just a lot of fun. It’s a great outlet and I think it’s a great idea.”

Beach said seeing the students has built her hope for the next generation.

“You just know these kids will go far in life, by the way they interact with the residents,” Beach said. “They’re very empathetic and kind, but specifically, I just feel like the friendships and the bonds they’ve made together has really been heartwarming to see. I hope they get as much out of our residents as I know our residents get from them.”

Thomas said while the club was created as a way to give back to the community, the students who participate get as much out of the experience as the residents. A good sign? Students usually come back.

The expansion

In an attempt to expand to other schools, Thomas created a TikTok account for the club this summer. She made a video explaining the club’s mission and encouraged other high schoolers to connect in their own communities.

The morning after posting, Thomas woke to find her video had been viewed more than 70,000 times. Hundreds of high schoolers across the country had messaged her.

Thomas created a virtual classroom, welcoming more than 300 people. She shared the club’s mission statement and tips for starting their own clubs and raising awareness.

She’s kept track of the club’s nationwide growth on a spreadsheet. As of Sept. 25, Thomas said more than 300 students from 36 states and Puerto Rico have implemented her idea in their communities.

“It’s just been so exciting to watch other people have the same passion as me,” Thomas said. “It makes me feel like I’m doing something good for other people, and just being able to observe the impact that it has is so wholesome.”

The future

Though Thomas, club president, will graduate in the spring, she said she’s confident her club will be carried on by future classes. She plans to identify a vice president this year to pass the torch.

“I’m definitely confident that it will carry through, because we have tons of underclassmen who come every Sunday and love it,” Thomas said.

Beach said she’s encouraged any facilities with a senior community to join the club, too.

“I hope the impact is reached in every community that they’re in, because this has been a very worthwhile experience for us,” Beach said. “I hope other facilities and centers open their arms to these kids, because only positive things can happen, and I really think it’ll make a huge impact.”

Students interested in implementing a Connect Four Club at their own school can reach out to Thomas through the Connect More Instagram account at scnconnectmore.