By BENNY LEE SMITH
Staff Writer
Love is ageless. Visit us.

Those words are on a sign that hangs above the entrance of Mountainview Nursing Home on Cedar Springs Road.

The winter storm forced more than 200 S.C. School for the Deaf and the Blind teachers and students to ride buses across the street and take the nursing home residents up on that offer Thursday. The group made the visit because of a power outage at the school.

"This is the first time we have ever had to evacuate since I have been here for more than 25 years," said Craig Jacobs, principal of SCSDB's Multihandicapped School.

Students ranging from elementary to middle school ages interacted throughout the day with elderly residents as they waited for power to be restored. The school's nearly 90 older teens and their teachers spent Thursday at Croft Fire Department.

The school lost power about 3:30 a.m., and administrators went into action.

"We knew what to do; we just don't want to have to do it again, ever," said SCSDB President Sheila Breitweiser.

They first called nursing home administrators and Croft firefighters to let them know they would be putting their winter storm plan into action. The school does not have generators.

"I heard a knock on my door and then they said we had to get up, get dressed because the power was out," said 13-year-old Jennifer Paul.

Paul and about 250 other students from around the state stay at the school as residential students during the week. They go home on the weekends.

Once students got to the nursing home and fire department, they were split into groups with their teachers. They spent the rest of the day playing games, watching television and taking short walks outside.

Students made the best of their situation by interacting with residents at the nursing home.

Cleveland Hallman, 10, of Columbia played with a large yellow ball, regularly used as a therapy tool. He bounced the ball in the hall of the nursing home back and forth for about 20 minutes with a nursing home resident.

Fourteen-year-old twins Latiesha and Lakeieshia Baskin of Anderson used their time to practice cheerleading moves. As they moved their arms and jumped up and down, nursing home residents rolled their wheelchairs in to get a look.

Administrator Wilson Dillard said it was the first time the nursing home has had the opportunity to accommodate the students, who are directly across the street from the nursing home.

"We have a good relationship and past understanding that if this ever happened we would be there for them," Wilson said.

Power was restored at SCSDB late Thursday, but the students spent Thursday night at the fire department and nursing home while the school heated back up.

Benny Lee Smith can be reached at 582-4511, Ext. 7216, or benny.smith@shj.com