Thanks to the community, each resident of Victoria Manor in Lindsay will have a gift to open on Christmas.
Each year, the life enrichment team at the municipally operated long-term care home on Angeline Street extends a call to the community for donations to ensure all of the home’s 166 residents receive a gift to open on Christmas Day.
“The most meaningful part of this initiative is knowing it will bring joy to residents on Christmas morning, especially those without family support,” said Holly Speedie, Victoria Manor’s manager of resident and family services.
“Knowing that someone in the community was thinking of them helps residents feel valued, remembered, and connected,” Speedie told kawarthaNOW. “We are incredibly grateful for the support of the Kawartha Lakes community. It’s a powerful reminder that these moments of kindness can make a meaningful difference in an individual’s day.”
Rachel Edmondson, life enrichment supervisor at Victoria Manor, said it really involves a community effort.
“From the front-line team members at the Manor, to Kawartha Lakes staff, and local community members, many people help to give the residents a Christmas morning that feels like home,” Edmondson said.
About a month before Christmas, Victoria Manor distributes a list of residents to front-line team members so they can collect gift ideas and identify if the residents have any specific needs that could be fulfilled on their behalf. At the same time, the long-term care home spreads the word to municipal staff and the community that sponsors are needed.
In response to offers to help, team members provide information about each resident and their wish list so that gifts can be personalized to their likes, interests, and needs. Gifts arrive throughout December and, when a person or group makes a large donation of gifts, Victoria Manor staff try to thank them in person for their donation.
On Christmas morning, Victoria Manor’s front-line team members ensure the residents receive and open their gifts. To make sure all residents have a gift to open, the team also ensures extra gifts are collected in case of resident discharges or new admissions.
In early November, around 30 municipal staff and community members responded to a call on Facebook in early November to join the gift-giving program.
Staff of the municipality’s human services department sponsored around 40 residents, through an initiative organized by Jody Clements, who has also organized gifts for residents for several years.
Jami Joy of RE/MAX All-Stars Realty Inc. Brokerage in Lindsay, who helps organize the annual Secret Santa for Seniors initiative, purchased gifts for another 100 residents.
The Lindsay Horticultural Society, which distributes Christmas plans to all long-term care homes in Lindsay, also dropped off 166 plants at Victoria Manor — one for each resident.
