It’s Volunteers Week 2019 and we asked some of our most regular party go-ers what motivates them to be involved in the Cocktails project. Thank you all for sharing your stories and for your commitment and dedication to Cocktails! Every single volunteer is important to us. We hope these stories will inspire you and if you are interested in volunteering with us check out our Volunteering section here.
Katy tells us about her time on the Cocktails project:
“I am so happy I found ‘Cocktails in Care Homes!’ I was keen to do some kind of volunteering to support older people; it strikes me as an under-served group in society and as someone who hopes to grow old myself I am keen to ‘pay it forward’! What I love about Magic Me is that they gave us a great orientation on how to make conversation and communicate with dementia patients, so when it came time to join a party I felt prepared and more confident!
Since that first party it has been really amazing; not only has it been rewarding to feel like you’re giving something back, it’s made me appreciate the richness of life experiences all around me- I’ve really gotten to meet and chat to some incredible people: the 92 year old who lived in the Middle East and Kenya with her husband as journalists, a pioneering female economist, a father who moonlighted as a lounge singer, an Irish primary school teacher, and a Spanish great-grandmother partial to a glass of sherry who has over 20 grandchildren and can name them all! Being a part of these parties has also been a great way to practice making conversation with a very diverse group of people; how to find topics, keep conversation going, read signals, and deal with emotions.
It’s not always easy but I’m always so glad I went and leave feeling like we’ve made a connection and a difference. Best of all, coming to parties regularly you really get to know the residents and lovely staff at the care homes as well as the other volunteers, and it’s such a lovely group of people. I’ll never forget the memories we’re making together- whenever I hear particular songs I think of all the dancing we’ve done at Elgin Close and whenever I play cards or read the newspaper I think of Norton House. I look forward to sharing cocktails in care homes for years to come.”
Thank you Katy! We couldn’t do it without you!