That is often the mantra people repeat to help get through the cold, long nights of winter. We need something to focus on after the flurry of holiday activities. Often there isn’t much to keep us buoyed except the promise of spring, which can seem like a distant light at the end of a long tunnel.
 
But there is a new light this year for a number of the older adults we serve.
 
In past years, with the help of hundreds of volunteers, Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly put on spectacular Thanksgiving and Christmas events that provided a wonderful flash of social activity for many of our older adults.
 
This flash of activity would then dim for both our Elder Friends and our volunteers because these holiday relationships only came together twice a year.
 
This year, because of some outstanding work by our staff and two very special and talented volunteers, Marcie Spears and Kris Jones, we changed our holiday celebrations from large group events to individual home visits. This provided each of our Elder Friends with personal one-to-one time with a volunteer focused entirely on them, and it gave our volunteers an opportunity to see what LBFE’s year-round visiting programs really look like.
 
The result: We increased the number of Elders who signed up to participate and we are seeing a huge increase in the number of holiday volunteers expressing interest in visiting year-round!
 
Because of you and your support, we are bringing the warm light of new, year-round relationships to more of our community's lonely older adults. I want to thank everyone in our LBFE family for a terrific year. Whether you contributed as a volunteer, as an Elder Friend, a donor, or a combination of all three, it is you who brings hope, joy and meaning into the lives of some truly extraordinary people.