Fourth grader Jorja Field selects a large sheet of white paper decorated with hundreds of small red squares and then places a large red paper heart in the center. She repeats this 13 more times placing red and purple hearts of various shapes on the homemade valentine. Jorja is one of 24 members of the Boothbay Region YMCA Fit Kidz program last week who made valentines at the Boothbay Region Community Center.

This was the second time in four days a group elementary school-age children  visited the center to make valentines. On Feb. 6, students made valentines for residents at Boothbay Greens and  Safe Havens in the St. Andrews Village. On Feb. 9, the youths made valentines for relatives and classmates in anticipation of Valentine’s Day.

First grader Hayley Holbrook had a list of a dozen classmates who she is making valentines for. But Jorja concentrated her efforts on family members. She made valentines for her mother, father and grandfather. Large hearts featured prominently in her creations.

“It’s the symbol of love, that’s why hearts are all over my valentines,” she said.

The community center is in its fourth month of existence. The center’s goal is to make it a place for everyone. So the center is looking for events which combine the interests and talents of the younger and older generations.

“We’re new so we’re trying a lot of different things,” said Director Jane Good. “We’re trying to bring the younger and older generations together. Last month, the students taught a computer class. And this month, we brought in students and had the seniors show how valentines were made in the past.”

The Valentine’s Day project is another project designed to bring the two generations together. Community Center volunteers Angel Ames and Stephanie Guite devised the Valentine’s Day program. They both have young children, and believed it would be a successful project bringing the two generations closer.

“My grandmother was at Safe Havens for a while so I know how much they appreciate something like this,” Ames said.

This is not the only Valentine’s Day event planned by the Community Center. A “Cookie Walk” is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 13. For a $5 fee, participants can fill a bag of cookies. A long table filled with about 20 dozen donated cookies will be available, according to Good.

The Cookie Walk is at the Community Center located at the Meadow Mall in Boothbay Harbor.