Joe O'Donnell's favorite playmate at his day care center is 2-year-old Katie Sheehan.
The two are seemingly inseparable. They play together, snack together, paint together, sometimes even nap together at the Ebenezer Ridges Care Center in Burnsville, where they are both enrolled.
O'Donnell, who joined Ebenezer last year, is Katie's 85-year-old great-grandfather.
They are brought together daily as part of an innovative intergenerational approach to senior and child care that is garnering national attention.
The program gives hundreds of seniors at the independent and assisted-living facility the chance to interact with more than 50 kids at the on-site child care center. Its advocates say it's good for both groups, giving the kids an appreciation for their elders while injecting new vitality into the seniors' lives and, research shows, improving their mental health.
This month, Ebenezer was named one of five finalists for a $100,000 prize from the Eisner Foundation in Beverly Hills, Calif., for its work helping children and seniors.
At Ebenezer, Katie has not only her biological great-grandfather, but also dozens of other "grandmas" and "grandpas" to play with each day.
"Best decision we made," said Jason Sheehan, Katie's father. "We are extremely grateful that such an amazing program like Ebenezer exists."