One good idea can often lead to even better one and that appears to be the case at Dr. Charles Best secondary school, where students are making Christmas special for 150 seniors.
Last Wednesday, about 30 Best students wrapped a mountain of gifts they'd bought for seniors living at Belvedere Care Centre in Coquitlam. Melanie Hameluk, who organized the wrapping event, said she has a "sweet spot" for elderly people, especially those without close family, and was compelled to do something that might make them happy.
"Everyone needs to feel that they are loved and cared for, and this is a way I could do that," said Hameluk, who's in Grade 12 at the Coquitlam school.
Her original idea was to host mini birthday parties for seniors but was introduced to the Be a Santa for a Senior program run by Home Instead Senior Care's Port Coquitlam outlet. Each year, the care provider canvasses for gifts for about 700 Tri-City seniors.
Hameluk thought it was the perfect fit until she could get her birthday party idea off the ground and was able to find 150 students willing to buy gifts for the residents at Belvedere. "In the last few days, I ran out of gifts," Hameluk said while handing out tape and wrapping paper to her fellow students in the school cafeteria.
She had a list of gift ideas and, and with the help of her mom, created a spread sheet to match students and gift ideas with seniors' requests. Gifts ranged from lap blankets to lotions, perfumes to sweaters and even a pair of suspenders for one resident.
"I think our kids are awesome," said Best principal Mary O'Neill, who said she was proud of the student initiative. "They are not just giving of themselves but of their time."
Hameluk, who plans to study pediatric nursing after high school, said she still wants to pursue the idea of hosting mini birthday parties with cupcakes and balloons for seniors who don't have any family. She got the idea after listening to the song "Don't Blink" by country singer Kenny Chesney, in which a 102-year-old man tells a young interviewer not to blink or life passes by too quickly.
"I thought about it a lot," Hameluk said, "and then I decided to turn my thoughts to action."
Evelyne Krautsack, director of recruitment and retention for Home Instead, said she plans to work on the birthday idea with Hameluk in the new year. In the meantime, she said, she is amazed by the Best students' interest in improving the lives of elderly people in their community.
"Honestly, I really respect that the younger generation are volunteering themselves and their time for such a huge task, and for the seniors, to make sure they aren't forgotten."
