Burnaby North students spread holiday cheer at retirement home

When a group of Burnaby North students heard that this year, Operation Elf, organized by Intentional Acts of Kindness Foundation (IAK), was not going to take place, they decided to step up and do what they could to fill the gap. For years, the City of Burnaby partnered with the IAK to collect thousands of handmade holiday cards from schoolchildren all over Burnaby and distribute them to seniors in retirement homes. 

The cancellation of IAK’s Operation Elf for 2024 spurred the Burnaby North students to do their part in spreading holiday cheer among Burnaby seniors, even if they did not have the same resources as the City of Burnaby. The students, who are members of the Leadership Program at Burnaby North Secondary, came together with one mission: design, create, and distribute their own handmade Christmas cards at the Swedish Canadian Assisted Living Residence.

“​​We heard that they were not doing it this year, and the students were really excited to come back here and make that happen because they feel connected to this home, and they really put in the time and made it all happen,” said Dayna Christofides, Leadership Program teacher and sponsor for Operation Elf at Burnaby North. “They’re the ones who came up with it all, and they thought of the idea that they wanted to give back to senior citizens. They curated the cards. They wrote thoughtful messages on the cards. They coloured them, designed them, and put in hours of work.” 

The plan came to fruition on Friday, Dec. 13, when the students and Christofides, dressed in festive outfits and accessories, brought dozens of handmade cards and handed them to the residents. 

The main gathering took place at one of the residence’s recreation rooms, where students and residents posed for a photo with one of the residence workers responsible for recreation, Adam Krut, who dressed up as a giant gingerbread man. 

After the main gathering with the seniors, the students went door to door to visit residents who could not join the gathering due to limited mobility. At each door, they stayed for a few minutes with the senior resident, who told stories about their history and lives. One resident was once a professional tango dancer, and another a nurse who was once Michael Bublé’s neighbour. Many residents spoke about their children who had graduated from Burnaby North.

Some residents were so overjoyed with the visit that they even asked the students to visit again. Emma Pia Salvador, one of the residents, was so happy about the visit that she said she would buy them chocolate and candy if they returned. 

The experience was rewarding for the students as well as the residents. 

“I just wanted to make a difference and grow my skills while also helping other people,” said Burnaby North student Selina Liu. 

For others, there was a personal connection, such as the loss of grandparents.

“I have two of them that passed recently, and so I feel like when I connect with a lot of different seniors, it kind of makes me feel a connection towards them, as I really love my grandparents a lot,” said Grade 11 student Herveen Aujla. 

One of the students, Karen Feng, was visiting her grandparents, who both reside at the Swedish Canadian Residence. 

The Leadership Program provides students with the opportunity to engage in activities in the community in order to build their leadership skills and give back. It also provides them with opportunities to make new friends and connections. 

Three Grade 10 students, Sienna Robinson, Grace Pieters, and Sydney Bastien, joined together as friends. They said they also made new friends and connections through the program. 

All of the students who joined the visit on Dec. 13 were female, and Christofides said girls usually outnumber boys in the program. Some of the challenges to getting male students to join are related to scheduling, especially for student-athletes who have other commitments outside of school hours. Making the activities seem more appealing to male students is also a challenge. Christofides said the school is trying to encourage more male students to participate. 

“One of our goals was to increase positive role model male involvement. So last year, we did have quite a few join the program,” Christofides said. “It really depends on what the initiative is. I’m sure we could have had some boys come out too, but we do have more girls than boys, but that is a goal, to get some positive male role models showing that giving back is fun and anyone can be involved.” 

Christofides said that the teachers are considering ways to accommodate the male students and their schedules so that they can join the program. 

“I had a student last year in hockey. He played hockey six days a week. He really wanted to be a part of it. I said we’ll make it work,” Christofides said. She added that while the student could not participate in after-school activities, such as visiting seniors, he was able to participate in other activities during the school day. “We find a way to make it work with their schedules, too, but it is a commitment; they put in a lot of time.”

This piece was made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.

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