Collaborations and Celebrations
Pictured left to right, Helen Schultz (OTF Rep.), Liz Martorano (SKIP), MPP Will Bouma Brantford-Brant, Tina Praass (SKIP)
On October 22, 2021 Seniors and Kids Intergenerational programs was privileged to host a recognition even to honour the work that has been achieved through “Buzz Me” this year. As 2021 recipients of the Ontario Trillium Fund’s Resilient Communities Grant, our mission was to provide telephone support services for seniors experiencing loneliness and hardship as a result of Covid-19. This event marked almost a year of developing and integrating the program within the Brantford community. We are proud to share with you the significant impacts of the program since its inception on June 1, 2020.
Early on in the program, we created a partnership with Canada 211 which allowed Buzz Me to be accessed by seniors from many communities across Canada. In addition to this we partnered with both Wilfrid Laurier University (and Conestoga College to provide students with volunteer experience. Many students joined on to fill their student placement requirements or to obtain special certificates to increase their professional development. All volunteers reported an increase in communication skills to add to their resumes. We have had approximately 30 volunteers since Buzz Me began
SKIP has worked diligently for Buzz Me to join the list of senior support services in the Brantford area. We are proud to have offered virtual information sessions for seniors who access the City’s virtual programs, and sessions for students and faculty at Wilfrid Laurier University and Conestoga College. SKIP has the opportunity to participate in several community forums on healthy aging strategies in Brantford to advocate for the needs of isolated seniors.
SKIP has always recognized that hope and purpose are an antidote to loneliness and that is why our mission continues to focus on programs that address this fundamental principle. The relationships that were formed, the opportunity for connection and the accessibility of the program helped ease the pain and loneliness of social isolation during this most unusual time in our history.
As the funding period draws to a close, we report that although Buzz Me will end this year, the essential aspects of what makes the program so wonderful will continue on. It is a great relief to know that seniors in Brantford and across Canada will continue to be supported. Through the Red Cross, seniors will be able to engage over the phone through the “Friendly Calls Program”. Community volunteers will also benefit from their well established training programs and will find purpose as they connect with each other. We know that the seniors of Brantford and surrounding areas will be in great hands.
As we reflect on how far we have come, we return to the original vision of Buzz Me. Truly, we never wanted to “re-invent the wheel”. Rather, we looked closely at the tools of communication already in place and simply highlighted them. In the age of technology, many have stopped using the phone for its original intended purpose and communication with our senior loved ones have been impacted. We wanted to go back to basics and to “keep it simple”. The feedback we received tells us that we achieved this. We learned along the way that we don’t need to re-invent communication… we just need to remember it.