The History of Story Capsules

Story Capsules was created in 2023 with the mission to connect our youngest and oldest generations through service projects that preserve and share the personal histories of older adults. We want to capture as many stories as possible to bridge the generational gap through high schooler volunteering, give families everlasting accounts of their loved one's lives, and provide nursing home staff with valuable information to improve the well-being of residents.

It all started in 2021, when Gabriel Horwitz, our founder, was in the 8th grade. He was asked to edit video interviews—interviews about the lives of residents at a retirement home. After editing multiple interviews, all featuring residents from Cedar Sinai Park, an assisted living home located in Portland, Oregon, Gabriel had an idea to make this project bigger and better.

Gabriel decided to start making interviews on his own. Being Jewish, he felt it was important to interview victims of the Holocaust, and so he interviewed two residents of Cedar Sinai Park who survived the Holocaust. Then, his passion grew, and he wanted to do more. In 2022, Gabriel began interviewing residents at the Northwest Place assisted living home.

Eventually, Gabriel realized he wanted to share the experience of interviewing residents with other high schoolers from around the country. So, in September of 2023, when he was a freshman at Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School, Gabriel founded Story Capsules. Story Capsules sends high school students into retirement homes to interview residents and share their stories. Today, student volunteers have conducted interviews in over 10 states.

The relationships that formed between the students and residents inspired Gabriel. The project expanded further: it solidified as a mission to, through volunteering, bridge a generational gap between young and old. 

In early 2025, Story Capsules introduced Living Legacies, in which high school volunteers create short biographies for residents with dementia or memory issues, helping caregivers and staff connect with and provide better care for them. This program improves the lives of the residents while simultaneously fostering understanding in the students.

Today, Story Capsules strives to "preserve the past, and connect the present."