Community Projects for Seniors - Kindness in Action
When I started thinking about some of the things i wanted to focus on for the “kind” part of The Funny Kind, one of the first ideas I had was to talk to Jeffrey Hansen from Community Projects for Seniors. Jeffrey founded this non-profit back in 1986 after his grandfather suffered from depression and unfortunately took his own life.
Jeffrey founded Community Projects for Seniors to find ways to reach out to seniors who are alone and in need of support so he could do everything possible those who are alone and need of love and support.
I heard about this organization years ago from our friend Jonathan who was delivering meals to Seniors with his family over the holidays. As he shared how moving the experience was, I thought this would be a great thing for our family to do together. It has been a really meaningful experience and we look forward to delivering meals every Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Like many people whose mission is to serve others, Jeffrey and his wife Colleen do not do this work for accolades or praise. They do their service quietly, inspiring thousands of volunteers to participate and be a part of kindness in action.
I thought it would be wonderful to give Jeffrey and the volunteers an opportunity talk about what they do and why they do it. So on Thanksgiving morning in 2022, my family (Producer Jay, Video Direction, Photog, Haulers, Encouragers Cade, Carly and Tia) made our way to the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Milwaukee that generously allows Community Projects for Seniors use their space for meal preparation and operations.
This project has been a labor of love (note: video and audio editing is NOT for the faint of heart and should be left to seasoned experts) but, as I listened to Jeffrey and the volunteers share their stories, the work was totally worth it.
I was so moved when one of the volunteers got choked up as he shared his experience:
“Family isn’t the same as it used to be. This is my extended family, it’s a lot of fun and I love it.”
As you watch the video, I hope you feel the love and inspiration that we did. I will always remember what Jeffrey said:
Watch the video and if you feel moved to make a difference by volunteering or contributing, visit Community Project’s website and get involved today!
There are so many great organizations that support Community Projects for Seniors. I sure was craving some food after watching this video and am definitely going to make it to Papa Luigi’s in Cudahy and Meyers in Greenfield. I love supporting organizations that are showing kindness in action!!
The holiday season seemed like the perfect time to share this video but, after learning about tWitch’s heatrbreaking death, it’s even more important to share the ways people can come together to help those who may be alone and depressed.
This time of year can be an especially difficult time for many of us, If you or anyone you know is struggling with loneliness, depression or thoughts of suicide, here are some resources that can help.
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline