Hopefully I have sparked your interest as Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) offers a program called Helping Hand that supports new parents who might need an extra help and we are looking for additional volunteers. What would a recruited Helping Hand Grandparent be doing? Some of the tasks that a volunteer may assist with are: preparing a simple nutritious meal for the family, helping around the house and playing with the newborn’s siblings. If there is an older child a walk around the neighborhood or to the park to play would be a great way to spend an hour. Watching the world through the eyes of a young child is magical. I recently learned how much fun watching a stick twirl in a puddle is for a 2 year old. My world slowed down in that moment. A quick trip to pick up groceries or mail could also make the difference to a new family since organizing and packing up a new baby can take longer than the simple errand for milk. Seniors in our community who are parents and grandparents can identify with how much laundry is created by babies, so helping do a load of laundry and putting it away could be one thing to help make a new parent feel less overwhelmed. If you are a ‘hands on’ kind of person, spending an hour in a rocking chair, cuddling a new baby may give mom a break to have a shower or cross a task off her long to do list. What's wonderful about this program is that volunteers have the flexibility to select a task if it fits their interest and schedule. This is excellent for those who are retired and looking to give back to the community without any set schedule. Seniors have a wealth of knowledge from their life experience and the challenges they may face on their own. You might be asking yourself “What's in it for me?” Supporting another member of our community brings feelings of purpose, an opportunity for fun, and the development of new relationships. An hour a week of volunteering can impact the life of the individual receiving the support so if you are interested in volunteering or are in need of support please contact Melissa at helpinghand@mywcss.org, 604-902-0865. WCSS will try to lend a Helping Hand.
Monday 21 April 2014
A call out for grandparents
Why am I
recruiting grandparents? With all the benefits that Whistler offers
as a community it lacks the generations of families living in the
same town to be called on when a new family member is born. In the
past few years, Whistler has experienced a baby boom and with many
first time parents having extended families that live in other
provinces or around the world there is a gap in intergenerational
support. A natural part of being a new parent is experiencing
uncertainty as you are learning about this little human who has just
turned your world upside down. A senior who may have their own
children and grandchildren is able to provide some perspective to
parenthood and an extra set of experienced 'grandma or grandpa' hands
for a new family is never turned down.
Hopefully I have sparked your interest as Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) offers a program called Helping Hand that supports new parents who might need an extra help and we are looking for additional volunteers. What would a recruited Helping Hand Grandparent be doing? Some of the tasks that a volunteer may assist with are: preparing a simple nutritious meal for the family, helping around the house and playing with the newborn’s siblings. If there is an older child a walk around the neighborhood or to the park to play would be a great way to spend an hour. Watching the world through the eyes of a young child is magical. I recently learned how much fun watching a stick twirl in a puddle is for a 2 year old. My world slowed down in that moment. A quick trip to pick up groceries or mail could also make the difference to a new family since organizing and packing up a new baby can take longer than the simple errand for milk. Seniors in our community who are parents and grandparents can identify with how much laundry is created by babies, so helping do a load of laundry and putting it away could be one thing to help make a new parent feel less overwhelmed. If you are a ‘hands on’ kind of person, spending an hour in a rocking chair, cuddling a new baby may give mom a break to have a shower or cross a task off her long to do list. What's wonderful about this program is that volunteers have the flexibility to select a task if it fits their interest and schedule. This is excellent for those who are retired and looking to give back to the community without any set schedule. Seniors have a wealth of knowledge from their life experience and the challenges they may face on their own. You might be asking yourself “What's in it for me?” Supporting another member of our community brings feelings of purpose, an opportunity for fun, and the development of new relationships. An hour a week of volunteering can impact the life of the individual receiving the support so if you are interested in volunteering or are in need of support please contact Melissa at helpinghand@mywcss.org, 604-902-0865. WCSS will try to lend a Helping Hand.
Hopefully I have sparked your interest as Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) offers a program called Helping Hand that supports new parents who might need an extra help and we are looking for additional volunteers. What would a recruited Helping Hand Grandparent be doing? Some of the tasks that a volunteer may assist with are: preparing a simple nutritious meal for the family, helping around the house and playing with the newborn’s siblings. If there is an older child a walk around the neighborhood or to the park to play would be a great way to spend an hour. Watching the world through the eyes of a young child is magical. I recently learned how much fun watching a stick twirl in a puddle is for a 2 year old. My world slowed down in that moment. A quick trip to pick up groceries or mail could also make the difference to a new family since organizing and packing up a new baby can take longer than the simple errand for milk. Seniors in our community who are parents and grandparents can identify with how much laundry is created by babies, so helping do a load of laundry and putting it away could be one thing to help make a new parent feel less overwhelmed. If you are a ‘hands on’ kind of person, spending an hour in a rocking chair, cuddling a new baby may give mom a break to have a shower or cross a task off her long to do list. What's wonderful about this program is that volunteers have the flexibility to select a task if it fits their interest and schedule. This is excellent for those who are retired and looking to give back to the community without any set schedule. Seniors have a wealth of knowledge from their life experience and the challenges they may face on their own. You might be asking yourself “What's in it for me?” Supporting another member of our community brings feelings of purpose, an opportunity for fun, and the development of new relationships. An hour a week of volunteering can impact the life of the individual receiving the support so if you are interested in volunteering or are in need of support please contact Melissa at helpinghand@mywcss.org, 604-902-0865. WCSS will try to lend a Helping Hand.
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