The Lacombe Adopt-a-Grandparent program has been a Christmas time tradition in the Lacombe community for many years, and continues to see terrific support, organizers say.
Currently, Karlee Prins oversees the program after former coordinator Wendy Buyar had been coordinating it for several years.
"Wendy (Buyar) has been a long-time friend of mine, and I always supported the program," said Prins. "She was definitely the heart and soul of this program."
Buyer had decided to step back from leading the campaign, and asked Prins to take the reigns.
Prins said that similar to past years, the program sees solid support from the community and makes a real difference in brightening the season for many local seniors.
"We basically service the long-term care centre in Lacombe and Bentley," she said.
"Currently, there are about 115 grandparents that are being adopted. And they have all been taken care of - they get matched. I get a list from long-term care...and within 24 hours, all of the grandparents were adopted."
From there, participants in the program head out to do some shopping, and the gifts are ultimately put together and delivered.
Staff at long-term care will sit down with the residents and chat about what they may like in terms of Christmas gifts.
Popular items run the gamut from chocolates, treats and snacks, to word searches, slippers, toiletries, aftershave, and body wash. "Other will want calendars, devotionals, puzzles, and stationery sets," noted Prins.
"This year, Oodles of Chocolates and the Lacombe Performing Arts Centre also opened up their spaces to allow for (gift) drop-off, too. I will then collect all of those by Dec. 13, and deliver them to long-term care by Dec. 16," she explained.
Prins' family is going to help out this year with distributing the gifts just before Christmas.
Over the years, several different groups and individuals have helped out with delivering the gifts specifically to the grandmas and grandpas.
For Prins, the whole project brings a sense of fulfillment.
"I've always had a soft spot for grandparents. It saddens me that some spend a lot of time by themselves. I was also very close to my grandma, who passed away five years ago. So this is a way I can continue to honour her, and also help our community. It's nice to be able to give back in this way.
"This is my first year in this role, but from what Wendy has told me, everyone has been very giving and they want to help," she added.
"Once they get wind of it, they watch for it every year, and they want to be involved. And from the messages I have received, I see massive support for the program also, and for the seniors in our community."
For more about Lacombe Adopt-a-Grandparent, you can find the campaign on Facebook.
