Imagine -
No one to celebrate your birthday
Being alone every Friday and Saturday night, every Sunday afternoon, every holiday – all year long
Imagine being alone every day…24/7
The elders we serve are age 60 and older, and they face that kind of solitary lifestyle until they find friends through the many programs offered by Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly.
- They live in their own homes, in apartments, in assisted living.
- Some are poor, some are depressed, some are grieving over loss.
- All are lonely.
By offering social programs, transportation services, and mental health assistance, we help the older and isolated citizens within our communities who have no one to talk to, to visit with, to celebrate with.
Why We Need a New Website
A New Website will TELL our STORY
We need an inspirational site that motivates visitors to become involved in our organization and learn about the challenges facing the elderly population in Minnesota, which is growing at an unprecedented rate.
We want our site to:
• Welcome elders who need our programs
• Encourage volunteers to aid our elders
• Motivate donors to support our programs
• Serve as a resource on elder issues to the greater community
Our site’s goals:
• Reflect the stories of our elders and educate people about the current face of aging within our community
• Enhance our brand and cultivate our image
• Make it easy for people to donate and volunteer
• Allow online registration for training programs, orientation sessions, etc.
• Be easily maintained by limited internal staff (who are either not very technically savvy or are occupied with many other duties)
• Link to referral sources and potential community partners
• Allow for cause-related commerce that will let us diversify our funding revenue streams
• Contain a robust media section
• Include an interactive component – perhaps a blog where volunteers can share their inspirational stories of their work with elders.
Having a new website with the above will help us provide important information and access to all of our audiences.
When the judges choose which non-profits will be selected to participate in this year's F1 Challenge they will take into account testimonials from beneficiaries, donors, volunteers, board members and other
Little Brothers provides a unique service to an important and dramatically growing part of our community - the elderly. These are individuals who have given much to society and paved the way for us. Through my work as a volunteer in a number of capacities with Little Brothers over the past 12 years, I have been consistently impressed and touched by its results. The orgnization lives by its principles from the highest strategic level to each individual act, and the manifestation of its motto "Flowers before bread" is awesome to behold. The friendship and fun are precious to the elders, and very many really depend on Little Brothers as their only source of significant social contact. In addition, Little Brothers ensures that the elders' basic needs are met and that services such as couseling are also provided as needed. The demand for Little Brothers' services will continue to grow with our aging population and its own set of social and financial needs, and a great web site will help significantly to satisfy outreach and communications needs.
Ann Gosack, volunteer
As a board member for Little Brothers, over the last five years I have seen this organization grow tremendously, both in the services it offers as well as in the number of seniors that it serves. It has become very professional, particulalry for an organization that offers many volunteer services. But despite that growth it has never lost the spirit of caring that is symbolized in its tag line, "A Rose Before Bread." Little Brothers understands what trully is bread for the soul and has always targeted its efforts to those elderly in our community who are most isolated and most in need of friendship and affirmation as well as in need for services. Little Brothers joins both of these together to be a trully remarkable program
James Reinardy, Board Member
Without friendship, without beauty, the soul starves. That's the meaning of Little Brothers' motto, "Flowers before bread."
Little Brothers feeds the starving souls of lonely elders. Many of these "old friends" live alone, far from relatives. Some suffer from depression or other mental-health challenges. Little Brothers provides opportunities for social contact through its visiting volunteers, holiday celebrations, and counseling services.
We all know that the population is aging. We've seen the statistics and the demographic data. But we haven't always gone beyond the numbers to learn about the elders they represent. A revamped website will tell the stories of these elders and how their lives have been brightened by Little Brothers.
A more effective website will help visitors to get to know our elders and our volunteers, inspire them to get involved in our organization, and provide helpful links and useful information about elder issues. Such a website will allow us to further our mission and cultivate the beautiful flowers of friendship.
Nancy Giguere, vice president of the Board of Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly
When babies drool and poop their pants, it's cute. When an old person does it, it's gross. Often times even family members ignore the older people in their lives. But to be old and alone at 65 almost ensures that you will be old and even more alone at 75 and 85........what quality of life is that! Is it one you want? I was with my elder friend just a few months shy of 20 yrs. I got to see first hand what it does to your dignity and pride and was honored to be there for her. I can only pray that someone is there for me. Anything to strenghthen the exposure for Little Brothers is a worthwhile thing. You should be greatful for the opportunity to help. In the years to come the baby boomers will place an extreem demand on this organization.
dana habeck, volunteer
Little Brothers is a fabulous organization that provides an invaluable service to the elders of the Twin Cities. Their efforts to provide social interaction with elders fills a huge void in the elders lives. I have been associated with Little Brothers for over thirty years and have come to realize the visits Little Brothers provides and the parties they host are the only social interaction many of the elders experience. The Little Brothers volunteers are considered family to many of the elders they serve. The impact they have on the elders they serve is incredible. I have watched Little Brothers expand their service offerings over the years to provide additional services that have had a huge impact on the elder community. Little Brothers is always looking for ways to improve the quality and scope of the services they provide in an effort to more effectively serve elders. They are a great organization to be affiliated with.
Art Carruth, volunteer
Little Brothers is a vital organization to help alone, senior citizens. There are thousands of alone, senior citizens in the Twin Cities area, whose only contact for holidays and outside events is through the Little Brothers. I have volunteered for over 20 years with visiting nursing homes, delivering meals & flowers to shut-ins, driving elderly to holiday dinners and delivering meals to those who are home-bound. This is a VERY worthwhile organization and VERY important to the elderly.
Donna Buchholtz, volunteer
Among our rapidly growing population, more and more have no close family nearby--or anywhere. We want them--or persons with whom they interact--to know about our organization that enhances quality of life for older persons. At the same time, many younger persons could find their lives enriched by being a volunteer, or donor, for Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly. I know that I have. We want the website to be the best tool possible for bringing people together.
Janet Krofta, Board Secretary, volunteer, donor
Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly is an organization that focuses on the human touch. Daily things we take for granted. Something as simple as greeting an Elder by their name; visiting with an Elder who may have no other visitors; being there to wish them a Happy Birthday and to celebrate it with them. When the rest of us are running around and busy with the holidays, it is Little Brothers that makes sure the Elders are not forgotten and that they have a holiday celebration as well. It is surprising and shocking to see how many Elderly people are alone and forgotten. Our family has been so lucky to be able to volunteer for this organization. My 3 kids have all had the chance to vist wth an Elder, help with a party, etc. It has not just been us giving, but us receiving. There are so many ways one can volunteer for Little brothers, and so many ways an Elder can benefit from LBFE. A website is such an important communication tool. A tool to be used to let the community know what LBFE is about, the programs it has to offer and ways others can help by volunteering their time, spreading the word or monetary donations.
Noelle Turner, New Board Member
Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly makes a difference in the lives of older persons who are isolated and alone on a daily basis. Developing an interactive and inviting web site will help expand the visibility of the organization's resources to the community. Improved communication with elders, volunteers, funders, other nonprofits and referral agencies, as well as staff, will serve to enhance the quality work already being done with the elderly in the Twin Cities area. LBFE has a dedicated staff who are developing the organizational capacity to serve the growing number of isolated seniors in our community. Assistance with LBFE's website would help transform the work of the agency in the years to come.
Katherine Pollock, board member
Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly provides vital services for a segment of our population which can often be neglected--elderly persons who are isolated, neglected and on occasion suffering with medical and mental disorders.
The caring staff and volunteers of Little Brothers have wonderful stories to tell. These stories will be magnified with a powerful website which can not only talk about the organization but also provide essential information to the persons the organization serves, particularly those people who are physically unable to attend events.
Valton Henderson, Board Member
Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly is the only organization in the Twin Cities area that offers volunteers interested in visiting elders the opportunity to thoroughly investigate the organization and apply to volunteer online. For most busy working people, volunteering is something that is occasionally contemplated and talked about wistfully, but usually gets put on the back-burner.
Not only is Little Brothers- Friends of the Elderly an organization worthy of supporting, it is also an organization that would truly benefit from an updated, easy to navigate website for recruiting volunteers and helping connect isolated elders with caring people who can offer companionship. Because this organization is built around the grass-roots philosophy that each individual relationship between a volunteer and an isolated elder makes a big difference and contributes to the mission of the whole, photographs, testimonials, and true to life descriptions of the variety of experiences volunteers and elders enjoy is vital to further the cause of Little Brothers.
Busy people looking to make a difference in their community need to be able to see the differences an organization is making in order to feel energized to join in and help. In order to reach more isolated Minnesota elders with friendship and companionship, Little Brothers will need more volunteers. I can think of no better way to share the huge variety of relationships that are borne out of Little Brothers visits than to put volunteer and elder testimonials on the web.
Allison Schnurrer - Visiting Volunteer
I have been associated with Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly for more than the past 10 years. During that time I have been a volunteer driver, worked on a number of events and have had two elders whom I have visited on a regular basis. Currently I visit Betty Opatrany9 (age 86) often taking her shopping, out for ice cream, walking the Mall of America, or just to have tea together. At times I will include my 10 year old granddaughter who sometimes does Betty's nails or just asks questions about Betty's life as a young woman. Betty has a rich history of working as the first woman welder on the B29 during WWI and the holder of many roller coaster trophy championships. There is great value in the intergenerational programs that Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly encourage. Both the young and elders gain from one another. Over the years I have seen this organization grow in the numbers of elders they serve as well as newly created programs to serve the needs of this important aging segment. It is my belief that LBFE will emerge to be the primary resource on essential issues of aging within the Twin Cities area. The quality of their people and programs will equip them to achieve this important position. A website designed to communicate the mission and need is essential in establishing a network of service providers where all aging agencies can offer the best of what they have to this community. A strategic website is the best way to begin the collaborative effort.
Bill Simmonds, volunteer
So many of these testimonials correctly focus on the benefits that Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly provide to elderly in our community. However, there is also a great benefit provided to anyone involved with Little Brothers. I've been a "volunteer" with Little Brothers for over 30 years. As a young child my parents would bring me along to visit the elderly on holidays and other occassions. As an adult, I've visited the elderly or shared meals with them on many occassions. Sometimes I bring along my parents now. I've also included other relatives, friends, kids that I mentor and anyone else that is open to the wonderful experience offered to volunteers when they visit the elderly and join the Little Brothers community. Engaging others in these opportunities through a strategic website is a great opportunity for all.
Margaret Schmidt, volunteer
My husband and I have been volunteers with Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly about 18-19 years now. We have participated in differnent capacities, drivers to parties, visiting volunteers, and now do our volunteering as holiday kitchen help. I also regularly send a very small donation. Our elderly friends were a brother and sister. When Walter died, Irene's staff advocate helped her make all of the arrangement, even helped pay for some things out of his pocket. Someone visited her daily for a couple of weeks. When Irene had her stroke, the guests signed into her guestbook in her hospital room, were all LB staff and volunteers. As we have no relatives in the state, the other volunteers have become our holliday family. I have tried on other organizations, but have never come across any other with the selfless dedicated staff and volunteers as Little Brothers. I am very proud to be a part of such wonderfull group.
Fran Szczesniak, Volunteer
The history of Little Brothers is fascinating and would be an educational and recruiting tool if a new web site could be developed to provide this information to the general public. I remember the first impression I had back in the 1980s when I volunteered to drive several elderly residents to a holiday dinner. The "Flowers Before Bread" phrase that was coined by Armand Marquiset in Paris in 1946 when he founded this organization is truly reflected when you enter a dining hall and see fresh flowers, linen tablecloths, and wine glasses placed on the tables. It made such an impression on me to know that this organization treats the elderly with great respect and dignity. Over the years I have delivered flowers to nursing homes and visited with the elderly, I have been a Visiting Volunteer to two different elderly women and became fast friends with both of them. But it was I who truly benefited from these interactions. My children have accompanied me on visits when they were younger, and I believe they have learned to value and respect the elderly because of the exposure they were given through Little Brothers during their formative years. At times in my life when I wasn't able to volunteer as often as I would have liked, I've recruited girlfriends and family members to help wrap holiday gifts for the elderly and encouraged them to donate to the organization rather than buy each other gifts that weren't essential. There are so many areas where volunteers will be needed in the future as the aging population continues to increase. A new web site would be wonderful to aid in recruiting the necessary resources to meet this expanding population. Of all the non-profits I have worked with over the years, I can honestly say that Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly is the most worthy.
Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly
1295 Bandana Boulevard, Suite 165
St. Paul, MN 55108
Our Mission
Our Mission
Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly has been helping isolated and lonely elders in the Twin Cities community for 37 years. We are a nonprofit, nondenominational, volunteer-based organization committed to:
• Reducing social and emotional isolation
• Addressing loneliness and mental health difficulties
• Promoting well-being and independence
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• Our full-time staff: 17 (Plus 22 dogs among the 17 staff)
• Our budget: $1.4 Million
• Number of volunteers: 1,200
• Elders served: 553
• In-person visits given: 6,295
• Phone visits: 1,639
• Social events hosted: 76
• Holiday and home-delivered meals: 576
• Number of rides to events, shopping, and medical appointments: 5,230
• Number of people who attended mental health continuing ed workshops: 250
According to the Minnesota Department of Human Services, more than 57,000 people aged 65 and older are currently living alone in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties. This number will more than double by 2030.
Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly will continue serving the aging population in the Twin Cities and is preparing to meet the expanding needs that will arrive with Minnesota’s “Age Wave.”
Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly
