It’s the time of year to give back.
Why not give back to people who’ve spent their whole lives giving?
The Valley’s seniors are being visited by Santa Claus and his elves for the seventh year running, but they need a bit of help from our community.
Breanna Brosko’s Adopt-a-Grandparent program is back. The 20-year-old has been working to bring some holiday cheer to Comox Valley’s Senior Village, and you can be a part of it.
She and others interview residents about what they’d love to get for Christmas, creating “tags” that detail info about one senior and what would put a smile on their face for the holiday.
Folks can then pick up a tag from the Christmas tree at Jo Klassen’s Restaurant in Courtenay.
You get to create or buy a custom gift based on the tag you pick, and then bring it back to leave under the tree.
It will be picked up and given out to the “Grandparents” by “Santa and his elves” (school kids and other volunteers).
“We had one senior and he was this big, gruff old man and he started crying, and he’s like, ‘There’s something in my eye,’” said Brosko to the Comox Valley Record after Christmas in 2018.
“It’s just really amazing to see their faces light up and how much it can really change their view of the holidays because sometimes for seniors it can actually be a lonely time and not quite as cheerful as it is for other people.”
It’s a really feel good project to participate in, that truly brightens the days of some of our most respected residents.
This year, the plan is to give out gifts by December 21st, so there’s still time to take part.
“The tags have been going consistently, they always do every year,” Brosko said. “We’ll be running out pretty quick here.”
The program has grown steadily every year. The first year garnered about 75 gifts. This season, she expects to reach about 265 seniors.
If the tags run out, it’s worth noting that The Views and London Drugs are also running Christmas programs for seniors this year.
“That’s nice to see that people will get taken care of outside of our program, a little farther outside our reach, which is good,” said Brosko.
For more info on how to Adopt-a-Grandparent, you can check out the project’s Facebook page.
Happy Gift-Giving!
