Bob and Brian are friends since April 2001. Brian and Bob have the most tenure of any of our pairs at ElderFriends. They still visit weekly and often celebrate holidays together.
Welcome to ElderFriends' website!
Whether you are a volunteer looking to enrich your life by forming an intergenerational friendship, an older adult in need of companionship, or a family member or social service provider interested in referring an elder participant, we hope that you will find what you are looking for here. Please don't hesitate to contact us at elderfriends@elderhealth.org if you need more information.
News & Events
An ElderFriends success!
May 16th Bellevue-Macy's Community Shopping Day
On behalf of Ginger, Joe, and Cindy, we would like to thank those of you who donated to our fundraiser sponsored by Bellevue-Macy's. Whether you purchased a ticket for yourself, a friend, a neighbor, or a co-worker, you have helped relieve isolation and loneliness among low-income older adults.
The Community Shopping Day event raised over $2,700 for the elderly of King County - we could not have done it without the dedication of our wonderful volunteers! Each year, 140 elderly adults in King County receive over 2,000 visits from our friendly volunteers. Thank you for helping us to continue our mission.
96 year old ElderFriends Participant Visits 1st Graders
To celebrate 11 years of collaboration between ElderFriends and Bertschi School, ElderFriends participant Clara Welch made a trip to visit the school's 1st graders. Every year 1st graders at Bertschi School make placemats to go along with the Thanksgiving meals we deliver. This year, they also created hand-crafted Valentine's Day cards to include with our Valentine's Day Dessert Delivery
Clara, age 96, brought in some of her craftwork to share with the first grade classes. Ranging from crocheted doilies, doll clothes and snowflakes to a huge, meticulously hand-stitched patchwork quilt, Clara amazed the first grades with her artistic talents. When the first-graders learned of her age they gasped in unison. "Wow!" For everyone involved, this was a captivating experience that touched all involved-evidenced by Clara's loss of words and tears of joy when meeting the children.
This connection marks the first time any of the Bertschi School participants have met ElderFriends staff and participants, and we are looking forward to continuing our unique relationship with the school. For more information about Bertschi School, please visit www.bertschi.org.
