Although the COVID-19 pandemic has made in-person interactions difficult, our Letters to Seniors Program has provided much-needed human connections to seniors and youth. Below, our members have expressed the Letters to Seniors Program’s impact on their lives and the importance of supporting vulnerable individuals through challenging times.
Myrna
Myrna, affectionately known as “May” to her friends and family, is a 60-year-old participant who has a 15-year-old youth pen pal named Elliot.
“It’s an opportunity to communicate through letters, especially to someone very very much younger than me. This is also a chance to explore and be involved in today’s generation. It made me realize that adults like me should be aware of what is going on in the mind of a youth.”
Olivia is a 15-year-old participant who started out in our program by sending letters to seniors in care homes but now has a senior pen pal named Karen.
“It’s a break from the stress of my responsibilities to just sit and see what someone else has been up to. I like reading about what made her happy that day or what tomorrow’s plans are [….] Sometimes I’ll be doing something exhilarating or new, and all I can think about is how I’m going to tell Karen all about it over the weekend.”
Mandy is part of our Letters to Seniors program and has a senior pen pal named Marjorie. As a mother, Mandy is incredibly busy but has found letter-writing to be an extremely fulfilling way to connect with others and give back.
“Letter writing allows me to slow down, reflect on my thoughts and share life experiences through our letters [….] I am working on my patience. I used to rush through life, and not really listen to others. I was always thinking about the next thing I have to do.”
Marjorie is part of our Letters to Seniors program and is Mandy’s pen pal! As one of our more active pen pal matches, we loved getting to know more about their relationship and how they are liking our program.
“It is nice to be connected to young people who are currently in the life stages that my children have already passed. I feel wise, respected and appreciated.”
I am a 66-year-old woman with deep faith who struggled for many years with a reduced speed of processing information and average delayed recall of audio and visual information for most of life as well as Chronic Fatigue, Fibro and C-PTSD. I am an avid reader/writer/healthcare researcher, a life-long learner and love learning new things and meeting new people. I have two adult sons. I live alone in my apt with a two year old feline named Bella. My lifestyle is one of quiet solitude journaling, contributing to websites in which I participate and share my experience, strength and hope with other resilient people like myself working through similar issues. The websites that provide an online community of support for me have been HealthUnlocked.com, Huddol.com and Togetherall.com.
I am a 16-year-old high school student. I am very invested in my academic and physical goals so I tend to focus my time on school and sports, which keeps me very busy. Once I graduate I plan to study to become a pediatric neurosurgeon.
I am 66 years old, married for 39 years and have an adult daughter. I was born in Vancouver and have lived in the Lower Mainland my entire life. I retired in 2010. I like to do volunteer work. Except for the time during the covid lockdown, I volunteered for two days per week at my local elementary school. I loved spending time with the kindergarten classes. I also volunteer with a local theatre group.
My name is Rayne and I’m a high school student that is turning 15 years old this October. I live in Scarborough. I am the eldest among my 2 siblings. I was born in the Philippines and my brother was born in Italy while my sister was born here in Canada. My hobbies are swimming and playing volleyball. 5 words that best describe me are kind, smart, hardworking, reliable, and compassionate.
The Family Match Program matches volunteers with families who have children between the ages of 3 and 14 years old and who do not have accessible grandparents with the goal to meet the social and emotional needs of older adults and families by creating long-term extended family relationships.
Helena & Christopher
Helena and her 11-year-old son, Christopher, are part of our Family Match program and are currently searching for a Volunteer Grandparent to join their family. We asked Helena some questions about our program and why she’s excited to find a match.
“It would be nice to have another mature adult in our life […], especially during the pandemic. […] I’m not specifically looking for mentoring, but more for a long-term family friend [who] eventually would be part of our family.”
Radhika has been involved with Volunteer Grandparents since she was three years old. She was matched with her grandparent Maureen through our Family Match Program, and they have continued to share a wonderful intergenerational bond!
Our Stories
Letters to Seniors
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has made in-person interactions difficult, our Letters to Seniors Program has provided much-needed human connections to seniors and youth. Below, our members have expressed the Letters to Seniors Program’s impact on their lives and the importance of supporting vulnerable individuals through challenging times.
Myrna
Myrna, affectionately known as “May” to her friends and family, is a 60-year-old participant who has a 15-year-old youth pen pal named Elliot.
“It’s an opportunity to communicate through letters, especially to someone very very much younger than me. This is also a chance to explore and be involved in today’s generation. It made me realize that adults like me should be aware of what is going on in the mind of a youth.”
Olivia
Olivia is a 15-year-old participant who started out in our program by sending letters to seniors in care homes but now has a senior pen pal named Karen.
“It’s a break from the stress of my responsibilities to just sit and see what someone else has been up to. I like reading about what made her happy that day or what tomorrow’s plans are [….] Sometimes I’ll be doing something exhilarating or new, and all I can think about is how I’m going to tell Karen all about it over the weekend.”
Mandy
Mandy is part of our Letters to Seniors program and has a senior pen pal named Marjorie. As a mother, Mandy is incredibly busy but has found letter-writing to be an extremely fulfilling way to connect with others and give back.
“Letter writing allows me to slow down, reflect on my thoughts and share life experiences through our letters [….] I am working on my patience. I used to rush through life, and not really listen to others. I was always thinking about the next thing I have to do.”
Marjorie
Marjorie is part of our Letters to Seniors program and is Mandy’s pen pal! As one of our more active pen pal matches, we loved getting to know more about their relationship and how they are liking our program.
“It is nice to be connected to young people who are currently in the life stages that my children have already passed. I feel wise, respected and appreciated.”
Heather
I am a 66-year-old woman with deep faith who struggled for many years with a reduced speed of processing information and average delayed recall of audio and visual information for most of life as well as Chronic Fatigue, Fibro and C-PTSD. I am an avid reader/writer/healthcare researcher, a life-long learner and love learning new things and meeting new people. I have two adult sons. I live alone in my apt with a two year old feline named Bella. My lifestyle is one of quiet solitude journaling, contributing to websites in which I participate and share my experience, strength and hope with other resilient people like myself working through similar issues. The websites that provide an online community of support for me have been HealthUnlocked.com, Huddol.com and Togetherall.com.
Leia
I am a 16-year-old high school student. I am very invested in my academic and physical goals so I tend to focus my time on school and sports, which keeps me very busy. Once I graduate I plan to study to become a pediatric neurosurgeon.
Lorna
I am 66 years old, married for 39 years and have an adult daughter. I was born in Vancouver and have lived in the Lower Mainland my entire life. I retired in 2010. I like to do volunteer work. Except for the time during the covid lockdown, I volunteered for two days per week at my local elementary school. I loved spending time with the kindergarten classes. I also volunteer with a local theatre group.
Rayne
My name is Rayne and I’m a high school student that is turning 15 years old this October. I live in Scarborough. I am the eldest among my 2 siblings. I was born in the Philippines and my brother was born in Italy while my sister was born here in Canada. My hobbies are swimming and playing volleyball. 5 words that best describe me are kind, smart, hardworking, reliable, and compassionate.
Family Match Program
The Family Match Program matches volunteers with families who have children between the ages of 3 and 14 years old and who do not have accessible grandparents with the goal to meet the social and emotional needs of older adults and families by creating long-term extended family relationships.
Helena & Christopher
Helena and her 11-year-old son, Christopher, are part of our Family Match program and are currently searching for a Volunteer Grandparent to join their family. We asked Helena some questions about our program and why she’s excited to find a match.
“It would be nice to have another mature adult in our life […], especially during the pandemic. […] I’m not specifically looking for mentoring, but more for a long-term family friend [who] eventually would be part of our family.”
Radhika
Radhika has been involved with Volunteer Grandparents since she was three years old. She was matched with her grandparent Maureen through our Family Match Program, and they have continued to share a wonderful intergenerational bond!
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