New programs bring youth, seniors together

The project is just one of many the Multicultural Association of Orléans (MAO) will be able to move forward on thanks to a funding boost from the federal government.

Ottawa-Orléans MP Royal Galipeau signed a cheque for $24,452 – the exact amount the organization requested, he noted – on Friday, March 27.

The funding comes from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program, which is intended to encourage seniors to continue to play an important role in their communities.

MAO received the funding for its Seniors Community Project, which will bring seniors and youth together through various activities. Besides the film, projects also include an after-school reading program that will partner seniors with elementary school children, and a computer technology class for seniors taught by university students and community volunteers.

Galipeau noted the program is intended to encourage seniors to participate and share. By bringing youth and seniors together, he added, it fosters relationships. “Everyone should be given the chance to participate and contribute,” he said, adding programs like those the MAO hosts make a real difference in promoting the involvement of seniors.

Toni Francis, a MAO volunteer who drafted the first grant proposal that secured $35,000 from Ontario’s Trillium Foundation, said seniors often know the stories and traditions that make up “who we are as a people.”

She indicated residents need to show seniors how much they are valued. Francis jokingly added she selfishly asks organizers to keep going until she’s ready for the programs.

MAO chair Qamar Masood said he was “grateful and joyous” for the funding.

He explained the aim of MAO is to help people in Orléans and build a one-stop-shop that will guide residents in the right direction. Illustrating the organization’s intentions, Masood noted a lot of seniors are not prepared for technological advances, which is why computer courses will be one of the programs offered.

MAO, which sprang to life in 2006, earlier received a $35,000 Trillium grant from the province to develop and launch recreational and leisure programs for area seniors and to promote interaction, reduce isolation and increase independence.

Since then, roughly 30 seniors have become actively involved in activities. Masood said the target for this year is 100.

Orléans Coun. Bob Monette, who spoke at the announcement, said it’s amazing to see what the organization has already accomplished, noting they’ve held three multicultural fairs and are planning a fourth. “We are growing,” Monette said, adding he encourages MAO to keep moving forward.