Volunteers to assist seniors with leaf clean up

Health and  mobility issues can make it difficult for a senior to  complete tasks associated with property maintenance.

So the Seniors’ Centre for Excellence, Drayton  is offering a Community Leaf Clean Up program, in cooperation  with local  youth volunteers.

After consulting  with the Mapleton Youth Council, the Community Leaf Clean Up  Program was launched in May 2015.

Youth  from the Drayton Christian Reformed Church, Norwell District Secondary School and members of the Drayton Kinettes assisted with leaf raking.

“It is a community-building program and  a small way of  acknowledging  the important role that seniors continue to play in the community,” said program coordinator Helen Edwards.

“Mapleton youth are also acknowledged for their dedication to making a difference in the community.”

Mapleton resident  Rick Jurchuck said, “The clean-up the Seniors’ Centre for Excellence provided in the fall, with the help of volunteers, saved my wife and I a great deal of time and pain.”

The Community Leaf Clean Up is  slated for Oct. 22 from 9am to noon.

The program is open to all seniors and older adults who find outdoor maintenance an impossible chore  due to health and mobility restrictions.

Participants are asked to  register on or before Oct. 14 by calling the Seniors’ Centre For Excellence  office at 519-638-1000. Registrants must provide  garden waste bags and one or two rakes. The Seniors’ Centre for Excellence  can supply garden waste bags at cost.

“There is also a need for  additional volunteers. Students can qualify for community hours required for high school graduation,” Edwards said.

“Contact the Seniors’ Centre For Excellence for more information on volunteering.”