A new local “Adopt A Grandparent” virtual initiative is partnering local seniors with local students.
The program is a collaboration between the United Way of Chatham-Kent, VON Erie St. Clair, Big Brothers Big Sisters, CK Public Health, St. Clair Catholic School Board, Lambton-Kent District School Board, Riverview Gardens, and the Age Friendly Advisory Committee.
The initiative hopes to combat the mental health and isolation of local seniors while supporting secondary school students who require volunteer time to graduate and are hoping to receive the new Canada Student Service Grant.
The United Way of Chatham-Kent says social and physical isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic has been an ongoing challenge for everyone. However, seniors – who often struggle with isolation in their day-to-day lives due to physical limitations or health challenges (such as dementia/Alzheimer’s), and issues related to static or lower incomes – are particularly vulnerable during this healthcare crisis.
In the Chatham-Kent community alone, there are 21 residences and 7 long term care homes for seniors – a combination of retirement and nursing homes with varying levels of care – in the local community. This, of course, does not account for the number of seniors living alone or in other living arrangements.
It is estimated that the Chatham-Kent community has a senior and elderly population approaching 23,335 people, which is approximately 21% of the population and higher than the national average.
“We want to combat the mental and physical health effects of social isolation in older adults and the youth of Chatham-Kent alike during this pandemic and beyond.” Said Cathy DeBresser Knowler, a Public Health Educator from CK Public Health. “There is no health without mental health. Studies show declining mental health can lead to a range of chronic diseases. Coexisting mental and physical conditions can diminish quality of life and lead to lingering illness duration and worse health outcomes. We’re hoping to bring comfort to those who may not have grandchildren or grandparents in an effort to create lifelong relationships.   “
By building interactive and supportive relationships for both the seniors and the students, United Way of Chatham-Kent hopes to fosterer long-term relationships for these seniors and students.
This initiative will also help to support secondary school students who require 40 hours of volunteer time to graduate with their Ontario Secondary School Diploma, and post-secondary students who are hoping to receive the Canada Student Service Grant from the federal government.
In order to pair seniors with students, gigit community – a FREE, all-in-one, social platform built especially for the volunteer and non-profit community that also gives back – will be providing the operating system for making this program a successful reality.
Since 2017, gigit has partnered with hundreds of non-profit and volunteer organizations to power volunteer initiatives, donor, and event management in Ontario, with particular focus on the Hamilton, Chatham-Kent, and Halton regions of the province.
In the Chatham-Kent community, gigit is a close partner of United Way of Chatham-Kent, powering their COVID-19 Local Love in a Global Pandemic community response. gigit has also partnered with various local school boards to provide the volunteer opportunities and support for high school students, as well as other local non-profit organizations.
The United Way says “gigit” is like no other operational management platform available. Not only is it FREE to any organization, group, or business to use, but it also gives back to every organization, group, or business that uses it through a portion of gigit revenue generated via online transactions within the platform.
It replaces every other management platform organizations currently pay to use, turning an operating cost into a revenue line, and ensuring organizational budgets go to initiatives their communities need, rather than operational management programs.
“In Chatham-Kent we are very lucky to have an active volunteer and donor community. Harnessing their energy and enthusiasm in order to meet our community’s needs has been challenging as we’ve had to use multiple platforms to manage, communicate, and organize volunteers, as well as accept donations,” says Steve Pratt, CEO, United Way of Chatham-Kent. “The gigit platform brings all of these requirements together in one cohesive and easy-to-use online application that simplifies this process. gigit’s customer support, nimble response times, and flexibility have been second-to-none. I would highly recommend the gigit platform to any non-profit organization and to individual volunteers looking for ways they can help to support their local community.”
In July 2020, gigit is set to launch its new release – an entirely overhauled operating platform that offers complete donor and donation management, volunteer management, calendar and scheduling functionality, event management, transactional storefronts, peer-to-peer fundraising, paid employee search and management, online resume creation, data and analytics, and so much more. The new gigit gives communities better ways to connect – providing a hub for all community members to be found and to find each other.
“We are thrilled to be a part of the Chatham-Kent community. Our partnerships with United Way of Chatham-Kent, and our many other local partners, have given gigit the opportunity to continuously improve our platform – creating greater flexibility, functionality, and features that answer the needs of our non-profit partners,” says Christopher McIntosh, President and Co-Founder of gigit. “But even more exciting for us is the ability to give back. With our transactional online functionality, we are able to now take a percentage of our revenue and give it back to these organizations who are the main support for the community’s most vulnerable members. It’s important to gigit to be able to make a difference in the communities our partners serve.”
If you are a high school or post-secondary school student who would like to register for this program, please visit: www.gigitstudent.com to register now.