Golden Diaries celebrates the inspiring heritage of community members and their cabins — through stories, podcasts, blogs, mentorships, and community events.
"This was the original model cabin home from 1920s. Pat Stillman, who has lived here since 1971 with her family, said, "I don't know why anyone here would go on a vacation-we live in a park. Kilkare Woods is now surrounded by East Bay Regional Park land. We wake up to the sound of birds. It is an enchanting place.. "
✦ Featured Story"Irv and Diane Tiessen live at cabin #77, called Tanglewood. "What this place gives us is a park-like setting in a large metropolitan area," said lrv.…"
🎙 Blog Post"Al Ducharme lived in Hayward and his barber kept telling him about this beautiful place near Sunol, but Al couldn't find it. Finally, his barber drove him to Kilkare Woods, and Al said, "I was absolutely awestruck." He bought cabin #6 in 1958 and, as a preservation measure, erected a canopy over it.…"
📖 Blog Post"Engineer by profession, entrepreneur at heart, paddy farming as a labor of love. Hiked the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. These mountains are still calling me …"
📖 Blog Post<Every senior member of our community is a living library — a repository of wisdom, courage, adventure, and love accumulated across decades. GoldenDiaries exists to open those libraries to the world before a single story is lost to time.
The later years of life are often the richest — full of perspective, humor, resilience, and untold adventure. We give seniors the platform, tools, and community to share all of it.
Document the experiences of seniors before they are lost — personal histories that textbooks never capture.
📖 MoreConnect seniors to community through events, mentorships and shared creative expression.
Pair elders with younger community members to share wisdom, trade skills, and forge lasting bonds.
Senior Citizens Coming Together in Celebration
Eight distinct programs ensure every senior finds their perfect medium for sharing their extraordinary story — whether through words, voice, video, or in person.
A curated digital publication featuring blogs written by and about senior members — covering adventures, reflections, recipes, life lessons, and community news.
📖 >>Guided storytelling workshops help seniors craft written memoirs and personal narratives — with volunteer editor support to shape raw memories into compelling accounts.
A professionally produced podcast where senior community members share stories, answer big life questions, and have long-form conversations with family and the community.
Short documentary-style videos and video diaries capturing seniors in their element — at home, on adventures, at hobbies — preserving personality alongside story.
A visual storytelling format where photographs from a senior's lifetime are curated, captioned, and published as a personal photo essay — one image at a time.
Structured mentorship program pairing elder community members with younger adults seeking guidance in career, life decisions, craft skills, cultural heritage, and more.
Regular community events — story circles, storytelling festivals, intergenerational dinners, tribute evenings, and seasonal celebrations — where stories come alive in person.
Purposeful activities designed to keep seniors engaged, creative, and connected — art sessions, walking history tours, cooking demonstrations, gardening clubs, and more.
Every story here is from real seniors of communities, whose storied lives deserve far more than a footnote.
Tours of duty aboard naval submarine across the Atlantic and Indian Ocean navigating typhoons and rough seas. Retired now at 70, he enjoys bringing his passion for gourmet coffee on a food truck to the local town square — and says these are the best years of his life.
Theater artist · New York → Texas → Sunol
Former National Park Ranger · San Francisco · Sunol
Home Construction · Harley Bike Rider · Texas · Sunol
What happens when a community decides its elders deserve to be heard.
Community members nominate a senior whose story deserves to be told. Self-nominations warmly welcomed.
Volunteers conduct warm, unhurried conversations — in homes, cafés, anywhere they feel comfortable.
Stories are shaped into the best format — written memoir, podcast episode, video diary, or photo essay — with the elder's full involvement.
Celebrated at community events, and preserved permanently as part of our living archive.
Golden Diaries thrives because of its community. There's a role for everyone — regardless of age, skill, or availability.
Lend your time as a storyteller, editor, photographer, event host, podcast producer, or social media volunteer. No experience needed — just heart.
Become a Volunteer →Know someone or a Cabin with an extraordinary story? Submit a nomination. We'll handle the rest — sensitively, professionally, and lovingly.
Nominate an Elder →As a corporate partner or individual donor, your support directly funds story production, equipment, events, and the preservation of living history.
Become a Sponsor →Looking for guidance, wisdom, or connection with someone who has lived through what you're facing? Browse our Wisdom Mentor network and request a match.
Find a Mentor →My grandmother was featured in Golden Diaries last spring. She said it was the proudest moment of her life. We never knew half those stories — and now they live forever.
At my age, I thought my story was done. Golden Diaries showed me it was just getting interesting. I am excited for wahat lies ahead.
Volunteering as a storyteller changed my life as much as the elders' stories changed theirs. I came to give a few hours. I left with mentors, friends, and a new sense of purpose.