It’s still about two months away, but Liz Leinweber is starting to think about her grandparents and Christmas.
They’re not actually her grandparents, they’re the community’s. Last year the Gifts for Grandparents program, which aims to bring some Christmas cheer into the lives of isolated seniors in Red Deer, helped out 608 people. The previous year it was 576, said Leinweber, who is volunteer co-ordinator for Family Services of Central Alberta.
The people they help are older citizens who might be alone at Christmas because they have no family and their friends are going away for Christmas. They receive gift bags before Christmas, delivered by cheery volunteers, and are referred by local groups and people like neighbours. Also there are some self-referrals.
Leinweber sent out letters in the summer appealing to all schools and other groups for donations, and this year’s program is starting to gather speed. Gifts for Grandparents operates completely on donations.
“We do what we can with the donations we get,” she said.
The program started in 2007, when they first helped 50 people.
“I don’t think people realize exactly how isolated some of our seniors are in our community. And that’s what it’s about, making seniors realize that they haven’t been forgotten.”
Something new this year is Westpark Middle School volunteering to adopt 16 grandparents — one for every classroom. The seniors will have an afternoon of entertainment and tea.
“Each class gets to kind of spoil the grandparent, give them a gift,” Leinweber said.
Empty gift bags are going out to a couple of local elementary schools — Annie L Gaetz and Fairview — so students can decorate them and make a homemade decoration for each bag before returning them.
Besides putting the gift bags together in early December, Leinweber said she always needs people to deliver the gifts. She can be reached at 403-309-8215.
barr@www.reddeeradvocate.com