2 VandenBos Air Cadets Reach Out to Spread Some Sunshine to Our Senior Neighbours with Their Stationery Sunshine for Seniors Initiative

During these unprecedented times, our Whitby Air Cadets have expressed an interest to reach out to our community, and especially engage those Whitby citizens most at risk during this global pandemic and its required need for self-isolation: our senior citizens.

A number of our Cadets have written and sent letters to help lift the spirits of the residents of eight (8) Whitby nursing homes, retirement villages, and long-term care facilities to assure them that they have not been forgotten and that they are not alone in these difficult times. We've named this our 'Stationery Sunshine for Seniors' project. Since the April, 127 letters (most of them handwritten and then scanned and sent via email to avoid virus transmission) have been written & distributed via two waves of care packages; both were well-received by residents and staff alike! We’ve received photographs of senior residents enjoying receiving their Sunshine Letters, and have even had one resident write back to the Squadron with her heartfelt gratitude and reciprocal solidarity.

Excerpt taken from our Squadron’s Official Instagram account: (https://www.instagram.com/2_vandenbos/)

Here at 2 Squadron, we're proud to bring (and exude) our own sunshine. Especially in the darkest days to-date of the COVID-19 pandemic, our Cadets searched for ways to reach out to our community neighbours in need of some care and connection. It's so important that our senior citizens know that we're standing with them during these difficult times and that our Whitby youth care about them! Enter our Stationery Sunshine for Seniors initiative. We're proud to report that our Cadets have now written 127 letters that have been distributed to 8 Whitby Seniors' residences (retirement villages, nursing homes, and long-term care facilities) since mid-April. The residences' staff and seniors were happy to complete the circle of hope, spreading the sunshine right back to us by sending photos of our letters being enjoyed and by some seniors even writing back to our Cadets. In times of crises, our Cadets not only like to 'look for the helpers', but prefer to *be the helpers*. A huge shout out of gratitude to all VandenBos Air Cadets who took the time and made the effort to make such important differences in their elders' lives and mental wellness during the initial COVID-19 quarantine. You've made your Squadron and community very proud! We're looking forward to continuing building these community relationships during and long after the fears of this pandemic have subsided.