When John Prine, the songwriter, was just 24, he wrote “Hello in There,” a quiet, but powerful plea to pay attention to old people — a clear anti-ageist call. I was about 15 when that song came out; it was one year after my father died. Maybe because I never knew my father as an old man, and even now yearn to know him, Prine’s message has stuck with me.

John Prine died this past week — a victim of COVID-19. “Hello in There” is being performed and shared again, and is a potent reminder of the toll this pandemic is taking on older adults in particular — and it is a call for us all to reach out.

At Lifetime Arts, our work is the opposite of “social distancing” and so we’ve “pressed pause” on many projects until it is safe to resume in-person, community-based work. In the meantime, we are looking for and finding ways to keep some programming going, at least for now — online. More to come on this as we solidify approaches with our funders and partners.

We’re so grateful to our teaching artist colleagues, arts organization partners and funders for their commitment and compassion. We know that when this is over, artists will help lead the way to healing, to gratitude and through grief. And Lifetime Arts will be there with them.