11/22/2009 11:00:00 PM Senior care company, Walgreens team up to help seniors
The area office of Home Instead Senior Care, the world's largest provider of non-medical home care and companionship for older adults, has joined forces with seven local senior care facilities and Walgreens to provide presents to seniors who otherwise might not receive a gift this holiday season.
Throughout North America, this is the sixth year of the Be a Santa to a Senior program. Last year, more than 28,000 volunteers distributed gifts to deserving seniors. In the past five years, since the introduction of the Be a Santa to a Senior program, Home Instead Senior Care has helped provide more than one million gifts to 700,000 seniors in North America.
"Be a Santa to a Senior is a great way to give back to the older adults in the community during the hectic holiday season when many are forgotten," said Chris Irons, owner of the Home Instead Senior Care office serving Tippecanoe County and the surrounding area, including Montgomery County. "The holiday is often considered a time for children, but seniors - especially those who are isolated and lonely - need to be remembered as well. Be a Santa to a Senior also is designed to help stimulate human contact and social interaction for older adults who are unlikely to have guests during the holidays."
Here's how the program, which now through Dec. 7 works: Prior to the holiday season, the participating local non-profit organizations identified needy and isolated seniors in the community and provide those names to Home Instead Senior Care for this community service program. Christmas trees went up in local local Walgreens stores on Nov. 8, including the one here in Crawfordsville, located at 110 W. Market St.. The trees will feature ornaments with the first names only of the seniors and their respective gift requests.
Holiday shoppers can pick up an ornament, buy items on the list and return them unwrapped to the store, along with the ornament attached. Home Instead Senior Care then enlists the volunteer help of its staff, senior-care business associates, non-profit workers and others to collect, wrap and distribute the gifts to these seniors. A citywide
Gift-wrapping day, when hundreds of the presents will be wrapped, will be held on Dec. 9.
"Be a Santa to a Senior is a way to show our gratitude to those older adults who have contributed so much to our community," Iron's said. "We hope to reach out to many with this gesture of holiday cheer and goodwill."
If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering to help on the citywide gift-wrapping day, contact Dyane Roesel, Community Relations Coordinator for Home Instead Senior Care at 765-447-8800. Businesses are encouraged to contact the local Home Instead Senior Care office about adopting groups of seniors. For tree locations in your area, or for more information about the program, log on to www.beasantatoasenior.com.
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