Each year, the City of Kamloops issues a call for proposals for registered charities and non-profit agencies in our community to apply for Social and Community Development Grants, which are intended to fund special projects, operational costs, and/or capital expenditures that address specific current social problems and/or issues related to the City’s Social Plan or the Livability and Sustainability pillar of the Council Strategic Plan.

The Centre for Seniors Information received a $10,000 Social and Community Development Grant in 2024. This is how the grant was used:

Submitted by The Centre for Seniors Information:

Thanks to the funding we received, we were able to expand our Secret Santa project, making a meaningful impact on the senior demographic we serve. This expansion allowed us to continue our holiday gift-giving and check in with our senior recipients during the spring and summer. 

The funding allowed us to train volunteers in conducting check-ins and provided them with gas cards to help with their visits to each senior’s home to deliver gifts and chat. The Secret Santa project aims to bring joy and gifts to lonely seniors in the community who have no family and limited supports at Christmas time. Gifts included toiletries, socks, and other essentials that contributed to the overall health and well-being of the recipients. 

These seniors have been identified as high risk, and an additional check-in is beneficial to their overall health and well-being.  Through phone calls and personal visits, we have personally checked on more than 700 vulnerable seniors living in our community.

We know how detrimental isolation is to someone's overall health and quality of life. This project allows us to connect with isolated individuals and link them to vital resources. Our goal for the Secret Santa project is to continue to grow it as much as we can to ensure all seniors in our community have a support system.

At the end of every in-person check-in, we like to offer a hug or a handshake to the participant. Most of the time they choose a hug, and during almost every single hug, there is a lot of emotion. Our staff and volunteers have heard so many times that that is the only hug that they receive all year.

To learn more about this Social and Community Development Grant, visit Kamloops.ca/Grants.

Review the full list of stories of how other groups used their Social and Community Development Grants.