Help Julie raise money

In spite of it being a life altering year for us all, I am proud of the way Family Service stepped up to the plate to continue providing services that allow older adults in Champaign, Piatt, and Douglas Counties to remain safe in their homes. Not only did we put safety measures in place to continue our current services, but also we started new, innovative programs! We pulled together our already-in-the-works telephone reassurance program called Friendly Callers to provide more social connectivity to older adults. We were honored to receive special funds to disperse hard-to-find items and quality-of-life purchases to older adults sheltering at home. We joked that our office had become a warehouse and that we should make forts out of the stacks of large toilet paper cases. We put our heads together to get the needs of our clients met while keeping them safe at home. We are currently piloting a program with Parkland College OTA department to design activity boxes for older adults. I can hear the loneliness and boredom in the voices of my grandparents as I talk with them about their experiences with being stuck at home for over a year now. Therefore, I am tapping across the state to support continued innovation to reduce the negative effects of this pandemic on older adults!