CEO Corner: June 2024

Seniors in Service staff and Classroom Grandparent volunteers smiling together outside Amalie Arena before a hockey game in Tampa Bay.

Connection isn’t optional — it’s essential to our health and well-being. In a world that pulls us apart, this call to action invites us to reconnect in simple, meaningful ways. From everyday conversations to volunteering with isolated seniors, there are real, immediate ways to build connection and reverse loneliness. This is your invitation to show up, reach out, and make connection a daily practice.

A Message From Robin Ingles

At Seniors in Service, we’re following the lead of US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy to make 2024 the “Year of Connection!” We live in a fast-paced, digitally dominated world, and it’s easy to overlook the profound importance of personal human connection. Humans are “wired” to need each other. Without this basic human need, our mental AND physical health can quickly decline.

If you’re reading this and thinking, “I need more connection in my life,” you’re not alone. Chances are, the people around you are feeling the same way. Be brave, reach out, and start a conversation.

Here’s the GOOD NEWS! Loneliness is easy to reverse. Start with the Surgeon General’s 5-for-5 Challenge. Pick five actions that build connection. These can be simple actions such as expressing gratitude to a friend, engaging your neighbor in conversation, or volunteering in your community (that’s my favorite). Then, commit to using these actions to connect with others each day for 5 days. After each action, reflect on how it made YOU feel. We’re confident that one of those feelings will be happiness.

Are you looking for more? Right now, we urgently need volunteers to serve as TelePals and Health Buddies. Anyone 18 years or older can help. As a volunteer, you’ll provide regularly scheduled phone calls to an isolated senior, reducing their feelings of loneliness, while also building a connection in your own life. Everyone benefits!

Join us and make this YOUR “Year of Connection!” Review our website to learn how you can be one of our TelePals or Health Buddies, or serve alongside a vibrant community of volunteers in many other ways.