August Newsletter

Hello everyone, and welcome to GrandPals Connect's Monthly Newsletter! From our team to you, we hope you have all had a wonderful month. August has definitely been a busy month for us, but one of our most productive as well. This time around, we focused more on expanding our reach, making new connections, and creating partnerships in many ways, such as meeting the Mayor of Frisco, participating in our College Planning Workshop at Collin College, launching our school-year volunteering plans, and, of course, working on our fundraisers and social events. Let's take a closer look at some of our main highlights this month:

As always, our fundraisers and events were major hits this month, contributing to both our funds and our taste buds. Time to let your sweet fantasies of chocolates and cakes take over your mind, because we are so proud to share that our bake sale at Parkview in Frisco raised over $100! All of our treats were made by our very own team, with little tastes from our homes creating big sparks among the crowds. We're so grateful for everyone who helped with the fundraiser and everyone who purchased something. Every bit of help brings us one step closer to the purpose of GrandPals Connect: making meaningful and positive connections every day between generations.

As mentioned before, we expanded our reach and made many new partnerships. One of our more important events was the College Planning Workshop at Collin College, presented by Yuva Impact. The purpose of this workshop was to help students prepare for college admissions and make sure they were ready for their next steps into the world. GrandPals Connect gained so much from this experience, including exposure to new environments and the opportunity to talk to people in influential positions within our community. In fact, we were able to meet our very own Mayor of Frisco, the Dean of Collin College, and the Principal of Frisco Flex School, just to name a few of the many community leaders we interacted with. We even gained a new member of our External Advisory Board, Mr. Suresh Manduva from the FISD Board of Trustees, Place 1. Now that's what we call an achievement! Interactions like these really benefit GrandPals Connect by helping us develop into something more; something that can truly grow to become even more successful while allowing us to connect more deeply with our Frisco community.

Now, don't stop at sweets. It's time to move on to the savory side. Were you at the pizza party at Bethesda Gardens? If so, then you know about the loads of fun we had there. We danced our legs off with Just Dance, said some prayers of good luck for the school year, and, most importantly, made so many connections with the other volunteers. Every event we hold brings the GrandPals Connect community so much closer together, building amazing relationships among countless people. Thanks to everyone who came! We hope you enjoyed it, and if you couldn't make it, we hope you come to the next one.

Now, it's time for school-year volunteering! GrandPals Connect is excited to finally move into the school year, and we wish everyone good luck. So far, it's been going excellently. Volunteers continue to make connections with the seniors even with their busy school schedules, and we're especially grateful for everyone who decided to stay on our journey with us after summer break. Our volunteers have been doing so much across our senior centers, from decorating flower arrangements at Frisco Assisted Living to helping out with a photo shoot at Bethesda Gardens.

Not just this month, but over the past couple of months, we've noticed a significant change in our volunteer-senior interactions. Now that the seniors can recognize our faces, they look forward to our visits even more and often say things like, “When are you coming next?” and “I can't wait to see you again!” They become so excited for the next session, and so do the volunteers. Even though volunteers visit for just two hours per session, which may not seem like a lot to the ordinary eye, the seniors look forward to it every week. Many of the seniors we visit don't get frequent visits from their own children, so the thought of people, especially younger people, taking an interest in spending time with them makes them feel special and valued. As our volunteer base and organization start to grow, and as people begin visiting the living centers more consistently, we get to strengthen the bond between the seniors and the volunteers. When we see that happening, their happy faces and pure, genuine enjoyment warm our hearts and remind us who we do this for and why we do it; for the connections, the moments and memories, and what we can learn from one another; to notice how different we all are across generations, but also how similar we can all be to one another.

And it's not just the seniors our volunteers connect with; it's also the people who work there. One volunteer says that after his session at Bethesda, the activities director at the living center thanked him and said that she appreciated his help. He adds that it was important to him because he was able to earn the respect of the activities director and strengthen their relationship. Another volunteer says she started volunteering with GrandPals Connect to earn her required hours, but over time, she began looking forward to the volunteering sessions. She genuinely enjoys interacting with the seniors and loves listening to their funny stories. She also adds that when the activities director thanks the volunteers for their work, it shows that she truly respects and appreciates their help. This shows that the volunteers not only form meaningful connections with the seniors, but also with the kind and lively activities directors.

Overall, it's safe to say that this eventful summer, filled with smiles and unforgettable memories, was a huge success, and all our hard work paid off. This time has allowed us all to create meaningful memories and intergenerational connections with everyone involved in GrandPals Connect, giving everyone a truly unforgettable experience this summer. Seniors in memory care can find a friend to remember. Special bonds between volunteers and nonverbal seniors show that sometimes connections are more than just words. Relationships between volunteers also branch throughout the youth community of Frisco, bringing us even closer together as one. We're all looking forward to seeing you during the school year and helping GrandPals Connect come one step closer to becoming something truly extraordinary. We hope to see you all next summer and add more members to our GrandPals Connect family!

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