Santa Monica Woman Shares a Piece of Her Life With Youth

“I wasn’t meant to be disabled,” says Edith Rady.

Diagnosed with a form of lupus, a disease that breaks down connective tissue and occurs mostly in women, doctors told the native of Hungary that she had perhaps eight years to live.

That was 17 years ago--years that Rady, a Santa Monica resident now in her mid-60s, has used to bring a richer life to others.

Rady takes part in a program called Linking Lifetimes, a Neighborhood Youth Assn. program that brings together young people from low-income backgrounds with older people who share the wisdom of experience. She spends several hours a week with 12-year-old Diana Miranda of Venice.

And Rady has a lot to offer. “When the bombs started falling in Europe during World War II, I was about the same age as the child I mentor now,” she says. “I was buried for 11 hours under the rubble, so I understand despair and hopelessness. But I also understand how to survive.”

Rady speaks six languages, but when she came to the United States she knew no English, had no job and no contacts to help her get started. She learned five new words a day and eventually earned a bachelor’s degree from UCLA. Then she was struck with lupus.

The disease has weakened her so that she can be active for just a few hours a day. But she spends some of that time each week with Diana.

“I started teaching her how to knit. I enrolled her in a cooking school. I try to get her enthusiastic about things. We go to the museum together, and she writes new words in a notebook. I taught her how to feed a horse. I know I touch her. Even with my limitations, I can sit right here and in a year I’d never run out of things to do,” Rady said.

According to Rady, Linking Lifetimes is not a program that throws money around. It’s about getting involved and providing guidance--not as a mother or teacher but as an older friend. “Giving can be a trap, because the first instinct is to buy something. I don’t buy things and I say that right away. It’s the self-esteem they need--and that comes from being competent, not from going shopping.”

Linking Lifetimes has programs in 11 states. Its underlying premise is that as the population of older Americans increases and the number of at-risk children rises, these two groups should be brought together for mutual benefit. Participating older adults share a minimum of two hours per week in one-to-one contact with a youth. Most mentors receive a small stipend.

For Edith Rady, the time she spends with Diana is worth everything. “There are so many deserving children. They are so smart and in need of a little guidance and exposure to a larger world. The pity is that we lose so many of them.”

In Los Angeles, Linking Lifetimes is funded by California Community Foundation and the Mott Foundation. For more information, contact Joan Joseph, Mondays through Thursdays at (213) 390-6641.

Bulletin Board

Retired Teachers--Santa Monica Bay Division of California Retired Teachers will meet to hear Don Ball discuss “How California Missions Were Financed”; First Methodist Church, 1008 11th St. Santa Monica; 12:30 p.m. Tuesday; information: (213) 392-1830 (free).

Bridge Party--An afternoon of bridge for seniors will be held in Plummer Park, West Hollywood; Tuesday; information: (213) 851-8202.

Senior Day--In observance of Older Americans Month, the city of Santa Monica will sponsor a day in Lincoln Park with live music, entertainment, dancing, door prizes and barbecued chicken; Lincoln and Wilshire boulevards; noon Wednesday; a free shuttle service is available; information: (213) 451-1673 (suggested donation $1.25).

Events--Culver City Senior Center will feature financial planner Jay Champlain on “Understanding Long-Term Care”; 4135 Overland Ave., Culver City; 1:30 p.m. Wednesday; information: (213) 202-5856 (free).

Health Care--Senior Health and Peer Counseling Center will offer free counseling on Medicare and other health insurance issues; 2125 Arizona Ave., Santa Monica; 11 a.m. Thursday; appointment information: (213) 829-4715 (free).

Dancing--City of Beverly Hills will offer “Senior Dance Line,” a class in cha-cha and samba by instructor Morris Hattem; La Cienega Tennis Center, 325 S. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills; 1:30 p.m. Saturday; information: (213) 550-4761 (free).

Items for the Bulletin Board can be sent to Linda Feldman in care of The Times, 1717 4th St., Suite 200, Santa Monica 90401.