Residents of Covenant Living, a retirement community in Northbrook, will soon have a little something extra delivered with their groceries.
The North Suburban YMCA is asking members of the community, along children at Meadowbrook Elementary School in Northbrook and the Field School in Wheeling, to create uplifting pictures, cards, stories, or videos to share with Covenant Living residents.
It’s part of the new “Brighten Someone’s Day” program created by the North Suburban YMCA and Covenant Living, according to a news release from the Northbrook-based YMCA. It’s “designed to bring joy to senior residents struggling with isolation,” the release states.
Residents cannot visit with family or friends and are restricted to their apartments because of Illinois’ shelter-in-place order, according to the release.
Also, the YMCA is closed due to concerns over the new coronavirus pandemic.
“We feel very fortunate that we have had a long partnership with the North Suburban YMCA,” Hilde Sager, executive director of Covenant Living, said in the release. “Knowing we have support from them and the community is a great source of connection during these challenging times for our residents.”
The messages will be uploaded to the YMCA’s website so residents can enjoy them virtually, and delivery staff from Sunset Foods, a grocery store company with a location in Northbrook, will place one of the notes, drawings or messages in resident’s grocery bags if they order from the store, the release stated.
Pictures on poster boards will be mounted on stakes and placed in front of the windows of the residence, according to the release.
Community members can write letters or poems, paint or draw pictures, or “record a 30-45 second video to say hello, tell a joke, or show off a particular talent,” the release stated.
“Even though the Y is physically closed, we feel it is important to continue to spread joy and connections, one inspirational message at a time,” Kim Nyren, the YMCA’s director of community investment, said in the release.
To participate, visit the nsymca.org webpage and click on the “Brighten Someone’s Day” link.
“We also hope these efforts will encourage other people in the community to get involved so we can reach even more seniors and other isolated residents in our community,” Nyren said in the release.
akim@chicagotribune.com
