Juliana Haddad Litterio, Board Member
At Little Brothers- Friends of the Elderly, we have a Highlight of the Week series where we shine a spotlight on members of the LBFE community including board members, older adults, volunteers, students, staff, CitySites (and more!) to learn about them and their experiences with LBFE. This week’s highlight is of one of our newest board members, Juliana Haddad Litterio.
Please tell us a little about yourself- what you do for work, what professional experience do you have?
I am a Finance executive, with 21 years of experience. I worked for 20+ years in Procter & Gamble across several countries and businesses. I am Brazilian and joined P&G there. I also worked with P&G in Europe and in Boston. My last 2 assignments were CFO for P&G Brazil and CFO for North America Gillette & Venus. I love to define a business strategy, prepare financial plans and optimize costs and returns for the business. I will join the Finance Committee on the board and I hope to leverage on my experience to create a strong financial plan and policy to LBFE.
What inspired you to get involved with LBFE?
When I grew up in Brazil, I had a nanny that had no family. She was not married, her parents were deceased and she lost contact with her siblings. As she grew older, she stayed with us, even after we were grown up. She then lost a leg to a tumor and we transferred her to a nursing home so she would get the proper care and support. When I visited her at the nursing home, I saw very few visitors and I could experience the joy that she had for having us there. I always brought my kids with me and the fact that we were there, was an event for the community. We used to play cards and sometimes other people would join us as well. I believe the LBFE programs can help bring those moments of joy for the elder community that is often very lonely and isolated – and I would love to be part of that.
What has been your favorite memory so far of working with LBFE and why was it so meaningful to you?
In one of our Friendship & Flowers visit, I met this lady who loved arranging flowers. She prepared several vases and we talked a lot. After a while, she wanted to show us the place, where the garden was, her room. We got close very quickly and one could see that she was really enjoying the visit. When we said goodbye, she asked us to come back soon. It was a pleasure to see how we can really bring joy and connect to the community during those visits.
Why do you believe intergenerational programming is important?
I believe the younger generations have a lot to learn from elders and vice versa, and that this exchange can be very pleasant and beneficial for both. The younger generations bring energy, eagerness to learn and tech savviness, while the older generations bring wisdom, peace and patience. Learning from each other will enrich both sides. I also believe it will help create a stronger sense of respect for history and for the elder on the younger generations and it will be great for them. The intergenerational program for non-English speakers at some of LBFE’s CitySites for example, is a fantastic idea. The college students learning a language have a chance to interact with native speakers who will practice the language and can also talk about their culture and history. And the older adults will have company and fun. It is a win-win.
Describe your greatest adventure (personal or professional).
Hard to choose one from so many adventures… moving around a few times, having my 2 kids in Geneva and back to Brazil… I guess the biggest one is my current adventure of moving into Boston (we came here in August 2007) with the family and reinventing myself. We are all going through a big transition period together – new country, new language, new culture, new work, etc… Even a new dog :). I am taking advantage of this big change to pursue dreams and passions that I did not have time for before. Volunteering is definitely one of them and I am very happy to have joined LBFE and hope to contribute to expand the work on relieving elder isolation and loneliness.
Remember to check out next week’s blog to see who will be highlighted then!
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