Chris Kuebler“I have trouble getting out of the house, I don’t usually have a place to go or do anything,” says Community Connections’ participant, Diane. “I live by myself and it really helps me get out and meet new people to interact with them.”
Diane has been a part of multiple Community Connections programs at TrueNorth Community Services. Recently, she has been coming to a new initiative, Winter Warmup Wednesdays, that has given her opportunities to learn, connect and volunteer with others in the community.
Winter Warmup Wednesdays is a new initiative of Community Connections, bringing together community members during the cold winter months. Every Wednesday for the months of January and February people are welcomed to participate in a variety of events. Each Winter Warmup Wednesday features a fun physical activity, meal and conversation, volunteer activity and a learning opportunity with guest speakers.
Diane has come to multiple events to meet new people and foster the relationships she already has with returning participants. One of Diane’s favorite parts of Winter Warmup Wednesdays is volunteering and learning new things with others. Diane says, “That was one of my favorite things because we got to do stuff to help other people and still got to laugh and intermingle with other people we normally don’t see.”
From making soups and laundry soap for the TrueNorth Food Center, to learning how to protect herself from on-line scammers, and how to grow microgreens, Diane has felt both helpful and connected to others. Having these opportunities to grow and give back has given Diane new purpose.
Winter Warmup Wednesdays are made accessible to everyone in the community, ensuring people always feel welcomed. Diane appreciates this as she says, “Of course when you get older you can’t really go and do a whole lot but with something like this, they adapt it to where we can help and be able to do things that we wouldn’t otherwise know or be able to do.”
Being able to participate in meaningful activities with others has connected Diane to the community. Whether it be through volunteer projects and building relationships, or even just having more experiences at community spaces and businesses, Diane has flourished through the program.
There is still time for you to participate in Winter Warmup Wednesdays! There are two more events taking place on February 21 and February 28. Join us next week Wednesday, February 21 for balance exercises, an enrichment presentation by Elizabeth Pitzer, fleece blanket making and brunch at the Moondance Café. Pick and choose which activities you want to participate in or come for the whole day. Everyone is kindly requested to pay for their own meals, but the rest of the activities are free of charge. We hope you will join us!
For more information on Winter Warmup Wednesdays or any of the Community Connections programming, please contact Riley Knight at rknight@truenorthservices.org or (231) 924-0641.