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LBFE Newsletter
Fall, 2017
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Letter from the Executive Director
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Many people and organizations reflect at the end of the year about their goals and resolutions. I don’t know if I just hate resolutions but I really like to reflect on new starts and goals at the beginning of September. Maybe it is all those years getting ready to start another year of school. So today, I am reflecting on how important LBFE’s volunteers are to fulfilling our mission.
LBFE is so lucky to have the volunteers who deliver all our programs to the isolated elders in the City. The volunteers are the heart of our programs. I am particularly proud of the seven volunteers who serve and lead the organizations in the capacity as board members. Their leadership, dedication, and determination make it possible for LBFE to ultimately be known as a center of excellence for referring professionals, the community and a source of comfort and friendship for all isolated elders in the Bay Area.
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It is amazing that over 1,000 volunteers interacted with the elders in our programs last year. From the In-Home visits on Thanksgiving and Christmas to the Visiting Volunteer program, escorting elders to Muttville, or participating in our new Tech Allies program, the volunteers make it happen!
LBFE has determined it is necessary to equip our matched volunteers with a “tool kit” of knowledge and information that will enable them to understand the aging/isolation impacts on our elders. In the next few months, our volunteers will do In-Home visits for Halloween, Thanksgiving morning and Christmas Eve Day and Christmas morning as well as escort elders to our Holiday luncheon. If you sign up to participate in any or all of these events and your plans change, please let us know, as the LBFE events are dependent on you and we contact the elders based on how many volunteers sign-up.
Finally, if you or your company would like to “adopt” an elder for our holiday giving tree, please let me know as we are beginning to put our Holiday gift giving program together. We will then assign you an elder or elders and you and your friends or work colleagues can buy individualized gifts for a specific person.
Cathy Michalec, Executive Director
Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly, San Francisco
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Volunteer Jeremy came to us with an idea - to hear elders' recipes and cook together. Since then, he has met with several elders, warming their hearts and filling their stomachs. This project is special since for many of our elders, they may not have anyone to whom they can pass their recipes. Jeremy is ensuring that their recipes are remembered. Thank you, Jeremy!
Do you have a passion project or idea that involves elders? Let us know!
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2017 Fundraising Cocktail Party
Sir Francis Drake Hotel
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Advocacy and visibility is a large part of LBFE as elder isolation can go unseen at the community level if we don't make it known. We have seen an uptick in volunteers citing friends, colleagues and media as sources of finding us. If you've told a friend about LBFE, we thank you!
Here is where LBFE has been featured in the past year:
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"I must admit, I have never seen anybody more excited about this website than these two. One of our elders, Emil, was looking up some of his all-time favorite singers such as Billie Holiday, Etta James, and Nina Simone – he even sang a few songs to me and it just filled me up with so much warmth and joy."
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Program Coordinator
Leisha Ishikawa
As Program Coordinator, Leisha oversees all programs that serve LBFE's elders. She recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and minor in health studies from the University of San Francisco. She was able to study abroad in Japan for a semester and learned about global issues surrounding health and aging, specifically about the detrimental effects of social isolation on overall health and well-being. From this experience, she has taken great interest in alleviating social inequalities and stigmas facing the growing population of Elderly in San Francisco. She looks forward to creating many diverse and vibrant relationships with elders, as well as the opportunity to support inter-generational relationships and community health promotion. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis, walking and running with four-legged friends, and trying new restaurants.
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Tech Allies and Volunteer Coordinator
Debbie Uchida
Debbie is the Program Coordinator for LBFE’s new program, Tech Allies. She takes pride in being the Program Coordinator for the program because she has seen how introducing the internet to our elders has helped them to feel more connected to our world today. She is also the Volunteer Coordinator for LBFE and she supports the organization operations by working directly with volunteers in 6 of the 7 core programs. She has volunteered with LBFE for about a year and has grown to love the organization and their mission more and more each day. She recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and minor in Special Education from San Francisco State University. She was born and raised in Covina, CA but moved to San Francisco 5 years ago for college and fell in love with the city. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, playing piano, and spending time with friends and family.
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If you would have told me ten years ago that I'd one day be working with seniors, I never would have believed it. Now, ten years later, I can't imagine having done anything else. I've been fortunate to meet more great elders and compassionate volunteers than I can count in my time with LBFE. It has been wonderful to work towards alleviating the isolation of SF elders and I hope that this work continues to gain traction in the fight to make it a thing of the past. Like many people, I found this organization when I wasn't looking for it. I hope LBFE continues to find intelligent and caring volunteers and staff so that elders can share their stories, their homes, and their friendship.
Don't worry - you may still see emails from me!
-Andrew
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Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly
909 Hyde St., Suite 628
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415)771-7957
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