‘Be a Santa to a Senior’ gives present to needy

By BURTON SPEAKMAN

GLASGOW — Members of the public will be able to select a name from the local holiday trees to be able to purchase a gift for a needy senior through the Be a Santa to a Senior program.

A lot of people think about children at Christmas, but as a company that works specifically with seniors the goal was to create a program that works with seniors who might not otherwise have a Christmas, said Brad Cannon, owner of Home Instead Senior Care.

In Barren County the tree was placed on Nov. 18 at Walgreens. The tree that was placed in the store contains the first name of an area senior and the gift they would like to receive.

“We’ve already received names for several seniors in Barren County,” Cannon said. “This program will have a direct impact on Barren County.

Once someone purchases the gift, they are to take the ornament and the gift, unwrapped, back to the location where they picked up the ornament.

“Hopefully they’ll also shop at the store in which they picked up the ornaments,” Cannon said.

This is the third year the senior tree has been located at Walgreens in Glasgow, said Amber Cannon, who is coordinating tree placement.

There are a total of six locations throughout south central Kentucky where someone can pick a name off a tree and become involved in the program.

The “Be a Santa to a Senior” program delivered more than 1,000 gifts to more than 700 needy seniors in the area. Home Instead Senior Care teams with the Barren River Area Development District, housing authority, area nursing homes and the Salvation Army along with Walgreens, Kmart, Walmart, Dollar General, Chick-fil-a and Greenview Hospital to provide presents and visits for seniors who could otherwise be overlooked at along this holiday season.

“The hope for this year is to have at least that many people participate,” Brad Cannon said. “We try to keep the prices of the gifts around $10 to $15 so as many people as possible can participate.”

There are other ways in which individuals can help. All the presents will be wrapped on Dec. 17 in Bowling Green, he said.

“I understand that some people in Barren County might not want to drive that far, but the best way that people can help is to donate a senior,” Brad Cannon said.

There have been some groups that have adopted a large number of seniors, he said. In the past a preschool bought presents for 50 seniors. They picked “Be a Santa to a Senior” as school’s project and the children and their parents really got behind the effort.

According the “Be A Santa” Web site the program started with a visit.

In 2006, “Be a Santa to a Senior” volunteers visited a local nursing facility and distributed gifts to a number of residents, including one 87-year-old woman whom they called Mary. She was pleased to receive her gift and thanked us profusely, but it wasn't until we returned to give Mary another gift in 2007 that volunteers recognized the true value of “Be a Santa to a Senior.”

When the group entered Mary's room for a second visit, it was noticed that the only card on her bulletin board was the “Be a Santa to a Senior” card from the previous year. As the volunteers spoke with her caregivers it was learned that the “Be a Santa” Christmas card and gift were the only items she had received throughout the year. Mary re-read the card regularly to help keep that memory alive, according to the site.

Groups looking to sponsor a larger number of seniors can contact Home Instead Senior Care at (270) 842-7550. Those just wishing to adopt one or two seniors can pick up an ornament at Walgreens in Glasgow. For additional information about the program go online to http://www. beasantatoasenior.com.