This warm weather has been welcomed by everyone here at Little Brothers after the long winter. We will be kicking off the summer with the first of three picnics at Larz Anderson Park this weekend. Look to our Facebook page next week for photos of all the fun!
In addition to our usual roster of picnics, friendly visiting, medical escorts, and telephone support, this summer program staff have set a goal of conducting 300 home visits. This large undertaking is proving to be challenging and time-consuming but also rewarding and informative. We are gaining a much clearer picture of the current needs of the elders we serve. This information is going to help us shape and expand current programs and create and implement new services.
As part of our summer home visits outreach work, Benita, a German gerontology student, will join the staff for two months. She will be conducting over 100 interviews with our elders for the Age-Friendly World Initiative. Boston is one of 258 cities participating in this World Health Organization endeavor. We are delighted to be part of this global effort and happy to ensure that our elders are part of the conversation.
This summer we are also laying the groundwork for our new City Sites Program. We are building on our existing relationships with Boston College, Bunker Hill Community College and Northeastern University to recruit Service Learning and Community Engagement students to help us staff weekly activities at elder buildings across Boston. In conjunction with Boston Cares we are piloting a monthly art activity. The first will take place in June at our Jamaica Plain location, where elders and volunteers will be decorating picture frames.
We continue to explore ways to expand and strengthen our Friendly Visiting program. Friendly Visiting is a stealth instrument in our toolkit–it is the cornerstone of the work we do and an essential component in the suite of programs we are developing. Our September luncheon has a Friendly Visiting theme and will be a chance for current matches to meet and greet. We will send out invitations, but please email Airlie if you and your elder are interested in joining us!
In the coming months you will notice different activities and events on the calendar and new opportunities for volunteering. Please feel free to contact Airlie or Cynthia if you have questions or ideas as programs grow and change.