The United Way has contributed $20,000 to create paid work placements for three Recreation Therapy students in their fourth and final term of the program. The money furthers efforts made possible by an earlier United Way grant worth $55,000, which was used to cover materials that will help the students connect virtually with residents at Millennium Trail Manor, a Niagara Falls long-term care home hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both grants were made possible by the Government of Canada’s Emergency Community Support Fund (ECSF).
“Supporting seniors well-being in long-term care homes through this pandemic is such an important issue in Niagara,” said Frances Hallworth, United Way Executive Director. “United Way is pleased to be able to grant this money to Niagara College’s Recreation Therapy program ‘combating isolation and loneliness for seniors’ thanks to the Emergency Community Support Fund.”
The student-led programming will include one-on-one interactions to stimulate residents cognitively and socially. The students carrying out the programming will also use materials created by their classmates and technology purchased with the first United Way-ECSF grant.
“We’re so thankful for the money and so thankful we can impact Millennium Trail in a positive way,” said Carol Phillips, NC’s Associate Dean of Community Services. “The residents really need it. The students are really keen to make a difference and understand this will be their role. This is real life coming for them and they’ve really embraced it.”
