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

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.

ElderFriends 2nd Annual Holiday Gift Delivery a Success!

Thanks to the generosity of the employees of Cell Therapeutics (CTI), a local biopharmaceutical company specializing in cancer research, ElderFriends received over 25 hand-selected holiday gifts to give to some of our elder participants! Many of our elder participants live alone on a very low income and do not have family and friends with whom they can spend the holidays. Receiving a personally selected gift courtesy of CTI employees, and delivered with a visit by an ElderFriends volunteer made the holiday season special for many of our elders:

I want to thank you for the lovely gifts that were delivered to me by Kelly. It was a pleasure to meet Kelly and it was a joy to receive all those gifts. The sweater is beautiful and I have already been making use of one pair of the bed socks. They are so soft and comfortable, and they keep my feet warm while I am sleeping. Alice, age 98

This was a wonderful fruit basket and I enjoyed being able to share it with the other folks here at the retirement home. Thank you so much. Jackie, age 78

For more information about Cell Therapeutics, please visit their website: www.ctiseattle.com