Center 50+, the City of Salem’s Senior Center, is a growing, dynamic organization poised to meet the changing needs of the population , age 50 and over. As a part of fulfilling their mission, Center 50+ formed the Network of Kind People. The vision of the network of Kind People is to enrich the lives of seniors living in nursing facilities by connecting them with caring people with extraordinary compassion and a heart for others.
Our goal is to train & connect caring volunteers with isolated seniors living in community care and nursing facilities throughout the Salem/Keizer area. We have more then 100 volunteers now reaching at least 800 residents a week.
HOW CAN YOU HELP DURING COVID 19 PANDEMIC?
We’re collecting friendly messages, pictures, and inspiring stories to share with local residents living in community care and nursing facilities whose lives have been impacted by the crisis. You can post you friendly message on your page and tag @friendshipbrigade, you can post directly to our page or group, or you can email friendshipbrigade.salem@gmail.com
Here are a few examples of messages and pictures sent to us over the last few weeks:
LOOKING FOR MORE WAYS TO BE INVOLVED?
VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS
Friendly “Pen Pals”– to write weekly messages, etc. to residents living in care facilities. We are especially in need of short, personal messages sent to us electronically. Please review this week's newsletter for ideas and feel free to reach out to me with any questions you might have. We are working with the facilities to include handwritten notes and cards as well. So, if you are a crafter or have a special interest in making physical cards for our resident friends let us know!
Friendly Callers – to make phone calls to residents in care facilities and/or shut-ins or those “sheltering in place” in our community who need support. (The activity director’s at our partner facilities have started to send their list(s) of residents who would like a friendly phone visit once or twice a week. We also need phone volunteers to help connect with seniors who are shut-in or “sheltering in place” due to the virus.)
Food/Care Package Volunteers – We've moved our staging/packing area to Center 50+ and both packing and deliveries will take place Tuesday - Thursday in the afternoon, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm. 5-8 able-bodied volunteers are needed to assist with assembling and/or delivering food/care packages to area shut-ins.
REMEMBER: Nothing is more powerful than friendship and a community that works together! To SIGN UP or if you have any questions please email us at friendshipbrigade.salem@gmail.com or message us on facebook. Please join us!
NOTHING IS MORE POWERFUL THAN FRIENDSHIP AND A COMMUNITY THAT WORKS TOGETHER
Everyone needs family and friends with whom they can spend time whether that is virtually or face to face. You can make a difference by “adopting” an individual and forming a one-on-one relationship. As a nursing home visitor and volunteer, simple acts of kindness such as visiting them in their nursing facility or calling them on the phone, remembering them on their birthday or during the holidays, playing a musical instrument for them either in person, video, skype, etc., taking them flowers from your garden or showing them a picture of your garden, guiding them on a stroll in the gardens on a sunny day or sharing a beautiful scenic photo of a place you visited once can add so much to the lives of those who may not otherwise have this interaction. Join our team of volunteers as we enrich the lives of seniors in our community. Are you ready to join a Network of Kind People?
