Living life to the fullest in Longfellow
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Marcella has been a seamstress, sailor, nurse, writer, and gardener. And now she is a fascinating 90 year-old! Living alone in her home in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis, Marcella takes the bus to the grocery store and enjoys growing strawberries in her yard. With all of her relatives living in Arizona, she believes "you are responsible for yourself" and tries not to let a bit of arthritis or occasional feelings of isolation get in her way of living life to the fullest.
A native Minnesotan, Marcella began her career as a seamstress working in a rug factory. Longing to become a nurse, she eventually got into a vocational hospital school in California, thanks to her brother’s assistance. “I loved the OB area,” she said. “Babies were born there every night!" She joined the Navy and spent time in the Philippines as a nurse. After earning an advanced degree, she returned to Minnesota where she worked for 12 years at the V.A. Hospital.
Marcella first learned of LBFE about five years ago when someone spoke about it at the Sabathani Community Center. She's only been involved since January, but she treasures the time spent with Scott, her Visiting Companion. Scott, himself, had lived in the neighborhood for 10 years, having moved away only recently. “I noticed the number of older folks living here and wondered about their situations,” he said. After learning about LBFE, he decided this program could be a bridge to understanding and building a stronger community between generations.
The first time Marcella met Scott, he appeared at her door with doughnuts, and she quickly put on a pot of coffee as they began to learn about each other. They often talk about Marcella's love of gardening and writing. She hopes to publish a children's book she is currently writing about a porpoise. “I’m grateful that the G.I. Bill allowed me to take a class in journalism,” she said. All she needs after completing the book is to find an illustrator.
Marcella says she is thankful for Scott. She knows that he has a busy job as assistant director of admissions at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design as well as attending graduate school. "He could be spending his time working on his house or doing so many other things, but instead he comes to visit me. We have good conversations that allow me to re-live memories from the past," she commented. "Just knowing someone will call to check in makes me feel good. Scott is always so positive, and we can talk about anything."
One day Marcella told Scott about a Chinese restaurant in the Longfellow neighborhood that she had visited about 20 years previously. Surprisingly, not only was the restaurant still open, but when Scott took Marcella there for lunch, the same owner stopped by to chat. "The food was still good," noted Marcella. Their next outing includes going to a new dumpling restaurant in the neighborhood.
Scott appreciates the opportunity to be connected to a community through his visits with Marcella. He is originally from North Dakota where his family still resides, including a 105-year-old grandfather. Scott commented, "I get a better understanding of what it will be like when, or if, I'm 90 by spending time with Marcella. I hope there will be people there for me who I care about. I believe our time together is well-spent and it makes both of us feel good."
- Karen Kitchel, contributing writer
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PROCEEDS SUPPORT LBFE'S COMPANIONSHIP PROGRAM
S
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
STARTS AT 1 P.M., THOMAS BEACH, BDE MAKA SKA (FORMERLY LAKE CALHOUN)
Register by 9/19 to guarantee your t-shirt!
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Companionship is a community investment
by James Falvey, Executive Director
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I sincerely hope you enjoy this issue of
Among Friends
. Marcella and Scott represent just one of the many friendships made possible by donors like you!
Your support brings so much joy into our elder friends' lives. Year after year, elders who receive LBFE's one-to-one home visits, holiday events and social engagement have found a greater sense of well-being and purpose. Yet, we're challenged by the fact that the elder population that is at greatest risk of isolation, loneliness and its devastating effects continues to grow each year.
It is hard to believe that the holidays are right around the corner! I need your help to make sure as many lonely and isolated elders as possible will receive the gift of time and attention from a caring volunteer this Thanksgiving and Christmas.
What makes LBFE different is that we do not receive any government funds. This allows us to focus on what matters most -- human dignity and compassion. You fuel this important work. We are committed to growing to meet the needs of the older adults in the Twin Cities, and we need you to make it happen.
Together, we can make each Twin Cities neighborhood a place where elders feel included, valued and loved. Thank you for your compassion and generosity!
P.S.
Check out our new Neighbor Connect initiative (below)! We're working with communities to develop isolation-free blocks, helping elders to age in place in the community they love, with the support of their neighbors.
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Home for the Holidays!
Volunteers ensure no elder celebrates alone
Since 1972, Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly has made it a priority to celebrate the holidays with the elders who take part in our programs. These holiday celebrations provide a meaningful touchpoint for elders who would otherwise spend the holidays alone. They’re also an opportunity for community members of all ages to connect and celebrate with isolated older adults.
LBFE’s holiday celebrations have taken on many forms over the years – from meal deliveries with visits at the elder’s home to several small-scale dinner parties and, more recently, large-scale congregate dining combined with a home-delivered option for homebound elders.
Throughout the years and no matter the format, one thing has been consistent: Our volunteers have always stepped forward to make the holidays joyous, special and filled with love for our elders!
ENGAGING MORE ELDERS WITH A PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCE
We have been thoughtfully considering ways to enhance the holiday experience for our elders through deeper, more personalized one-to-one visits, while also including a greater number of elders. Unfortunately, with the large-scale dining format of recent years, we’ve been dedicating a high level of resources to a small proportion of our elder friends. At the events, volunteers out-numbered elders two-and-a-half to one. Each event only served 29% of LBFE elders; the others chose not to or were unable to attend. Twenty percent chose to have their meals delivered. Still, more than half of our elders did not interact with LBFE for their holiday meal.
We also recently learned that the partnering organization that had prepared our holiday meals for many years has changed hands and is no longer able to provide this service; other options are beyond the scope of our budget and capacity.
This year, our holiday celebration, called
Home for the Holidays
, is designed to include a greater number of elders while also focusing our energy toward enhanced interaction between elders and volunteers. The special season will include home-centered visits on or near Thanksgiving and Christmas, plus a festive community luncheon in the middle of the holiday season. Instead of delivering a meal on the holidays, visitors will bring pies made by LBFE volunteers, as well as flowers and a gift.
PLEASE JOIN US!
With Home for the Holidays, there will still be numerous volunteer opportunities, including elder visitors, pie bakers, gift bag preparers and more. Sign-up for opportunities will be available on our website soon!
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COULD YOUR GROUP BE A HOLIDAY PARTY HOST / SPONSOR?
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We’re looking for a business or community group to sponsor and host a joy-filled holiday party for our elders! This team-building opportunity would be held on a weekday afternoon in December in our newly redecorated community room. Tasks include inviting elders by phone, arranging Metro Mobility pick-ups, catering the party, visiting with our elder guests -- and any other creative ideas you may have! Approximate in-kind donation cost: $500.
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Longfellow Community and LBFE
Together, we're working to end isolation block by block
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LBFE is committed to ending social isolation and loneliness among older adults in the Twin Cities, a burgeoning public health concern that involves close to 50,000 elders locally. Currently, we’re providing home visits and Friendship and Flowers deliveries for isolated and lonely elders in virtually every neighborhood, bringing friendship and hope. This still supports only a small fraction of at-risk older adults. To make a greater impact, LBFE is beginning to partner with individual communities through an initiative called
Neighbor Connect
, developing solutions that both consider a neighborhood’s unique needs for elder connection and leverage existing strengths and resources.
While remaining committed to the greater Twin Cities area, this fall we are reaching out to folks in the Longfellow Community of Minneapolis. Together with residents, local businesses, faith communities and organizations such as the Longfellow Community Council and Longfellow/Seward Healthy Seniors we’ll be ensuring this is a community-driven effort.
Through Neighbor Connect, Longfellow Community members will forge a path toward creating “isolation-free blocks” to ensure everyone, even those who live alone, are connected and feel a sense of belonging. Using various forms of social engagement, including home visits between neighbors, social events and fun community projects, neighbors will become a part of reducing loneliness – not only in older residents but for those of any age who are involved – as well as the risk of many physical and emotional health conditions that often come with isolation. Much of the success of the initiative rests in the hands of volunteer leaders, who are empowered to recruit and train Visiting Companions from the neighborhood.
The Longfellow Community was chosen because of its strong neighborhood and high number of older adults -- more than 1,400 -- who live alone. But through greater social connectedness, elders who live by themselves should be better able to age in their own home, in the neighborhood they love, more successfully.
Neighbor Connect combines the generosity and talents of neighbors with the dedication they feel toward their community, and is the cornerstone for building a powerful movement to end isolation right in our own neighborhood. We believe this formula is also scalable and can be replicated in other communities.
Residents of any age can be a part of Neighbor Connect and will benefit through new friendships and a greater sense of community. If you are a resident of the Longfellow Community, whether you live in the Cooper, Hiawatha, Howe or Longfellow neighborhood, and would like to step forward as a leader in this community initiative, please
email Ann Fosco
or call
612.746.0725
.
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If you are a financial supporter of LBFE, you likely received a survey from us this summer, either online or by mail. We wanted to know if our programs and services are meeting your expectations, how well we’re communicating the impact of your support and ways in which we can improve your donor experience.
Thank you to all who responded! Overall, your feedback was encouraging and insightful. We are heartened that you are highly invested in our mission and that you feel your support is making a difference in the lives of isolated Twin Cities elders.
Here is a brief summary of your responses:
- One-to-one companionship (78%) and holiday meals (60%) were selected as LBFE programs that were most important to you, followed by Friendship and Flowers (51%) and social activities (46%)
- 54% indicated you were “very satisfied” with our work, 39% “satisfied,” and 5% “not satisfied.”
- 88% indicated that we effectively demonstrate a need for support; 6% indicated we do not.
- Regarding what you expect from charities you support, your responses included transparency, integrity, good stewardship, impact and low administrative costs.
- 51% of you indicated we are meeting these expectations “very well,” 21% “moderately well,” and 5% “not very well.”
- When asked what would enhance your experience as a supporter, 32% of you preferred email impact reports, 25% small informal events, 6% one-to-one meetings and 3% gala events.
- 60% of you already subscribe to our free quarterly Among Friends donor newsletter, 17% chose not to subscribe at this time and 16% requested a subscription.
- 80% of you do not have LBFE in your estate plan, 10% of you do and the remainder chose no response.
- Regarding your preferred method of communication from LBFE, 58% selected email, 54% mail and 9% phone.
As a result of learning your preferences, we are making a number of adjustments. For example, you will soon be able to opt in to receiving monthly email impact reports. In addition, we are planning small “behind-the-scenes” events that you will be invited to attend.
Thank you again for your ongoing support! Please feel free to share your thoughts with us by contacting Ceallaigh Anderson Smart, Development Manager:
[email protected]
or 612.746.0739.
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Our heartfelt thanks are offered to the following organizations that have awarded grants or gifts to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter of Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly from January 1 through June 30, 2018. Grants support general operations unless noted otherwise.
3M Foundation
Catholic Community Foundation
Larry and Pat Clemens Charitable Gift Fund
Michael Leo Ellingsworth Charitable Fund
John and Lyn Lawyer Fund
Casey Albert T. O’Neil Foundation
Piper Jaffray Companies Foundation
Poehler-Stremel Charitable Trust
Roseville Area Community Foundation
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Partners in Justice Fund
(Visiting and Advocacy Program)
Margaret Rivers Fund
David J. Sutton Fund
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We appreciate our volunteers!
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In April, we celebrated the many LBFE volunteers who make it possible for our elder friends to stay connected at our Volunteer Appreciation Happy Hour. The Mexican-themed event also paid homage to our sister chapter in Cuernavaca, located just south of Mexico City. As a sign of our gratitude, each volunteer received a glass heart-shaped key chain, fashioned by LBFE Community Outreach Director Georgia Afton and other staff members.
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Our second annual Summer Sizzle party in June celebrated our Visiting Companions program, helping everyone keep cool and dry on a rainy Saturday with an indoor barbecue. Yummy chicken, ribs, baked beans and cake were served, and everyone had a chance at winning fabulous door prizes, including Saints tickets, a baseball autographed by Trevor May, and a State Fair package. We were rocking and clapping to entertainment by James Michael on guitar and vocals. Best of all, there was plenty of love and laughter to go around!
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LBFE and Prime Timers MSP are now partnering with the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation in hosting Let’s Do Lunch Café for members of the LGBT community and allies. In addition to the fourth Friday event held in LBFE’s Lake Street community room, Wilder is hosting a lunch each second Tuesday at their Community Center for Aging at 650 Marshall Ave. in St. Paul. Lunches often include a presentation or activity for added enrichment. In August, Parichay Rudina, LGSW, a social worker with Wilder, led the group in yoga relaxation exercises.
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John Yoakam Award 2018 Recipient
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LBFE is proud to be named by Training to Serve as the 2018 recipient of their John Yoakam Award for Advocacy to LGBT Elders. The Award is presented annually to honor a senior service organization or individual who had made strides to provide an environment where compassionate care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender older adults can flourish. Thank you, Training to Serve, for this prestigious honor!
Learn more about the John Yoakam Award.
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1845 East Lake Street
Minneapolis, MN 55407
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Phone: 612.721.1400
Fax: 612.721.5848
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