The COVID-19 pandemic not only cancelled a lot of the normal activities of the Thompson Seniors Community Resource Council (TSCRC) but it drove up prices of items they needed for programs they got grants for, leaving them wondering how they would cover the difference.
But their presentation to 100 Women Who Care Thompson at their most recent meeting resulted in them getting $5,900 June 29, enough to ensure their summer programs proceed as planned.
“They saw us as an urgent critical need and we’re really grateful for that,” said Penny Byer of the TSCRC after the cheque was presented on Tuesday.
“Their costs increased substantially so they came to us to fill an immediate need and we were able to help out,” said 100 Women Who Care Thompson vice-president Cara Butler. “100 Women was founded on the idea that the most deserving charity is the charity that has the immediate need. Our members noticed that the seniors needed the funds and were were happy to help.”
The council had been trying to figure out how to come up with $4,000 to cover the difference between prices they were quoted and what they actually turned out to be.
“It takes a huge weight off,” said Byer.
The TSCRC ran a food hamper program for seniors over the winter and is running another one this summer, Byer says. Thanks to a federal grant and the assist from 100 Women, the council is also producing a resource guide, in English and Cree, aimed at seniors that will be unveiled by mid-September when the group holds their annual meeting. They will soon training in iPad and internet use to help people in Thompson who are 55 and over connect with others.
“A lot of people would like to communicate with their kids and see them if they’re distant but they can’t because they don’t have the training or the knowledge and they’re, quite frankly, nervous to try out anything like that,” Byer says. “They don’t know where to start.”
The iPad training is currently in the beta testing phase and a small course will be offered in July and then a larger one in August. Byer says trying it out at a small scale first is helpful because it has shown that people who don’t currently go online need to figure out where to access wifi and how to set up an email address before they can sign up for Facebook and other services if they choose to. She also said there is great interest among seniors.
“I’m getting phone calls from people already saying, ‘Can I sign up? When are you starting?’”
The TSCRC has also applied for a grant to buy a rickshaw-style bicycle that can be attached to a wheelchair or a platform that a wheelchair sits on so that those with mobility issues can get out and enjoy the summer.
“Let’s use these multi-use paths that we’ve got,” said Byer, who expects to find out whether the grant application was was successful in September.
