An annual fundraiser organized by the Airdrie 1st Club will hopefully make people feel cared for and thought of this Valentine’s Day.
For the third year in a row, the Airdrie 1st Club has organized a Valentine’s Day fundraiser where people can order flowers and chocolates and have them delivered to their Valentine’s via members of the Airdrie 1st Club.
The fundraiser hopes to deliver flowers, cookies, or chocolates to seniors living in and out of care facilities in Airdrie. Helen Gitzel, a past president of the Airdrie 1st Club and fundraiser organizer, said that the idea for the Valentine’s Day fundraiser came out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were trying to figure out how to make seniors cared for and special,” said Gitzel. “We thought, ‘What if we made them Valentines?’”
For just $15 club members will deliver flowers or chocolates to anyone, anywhere in Airdrie. Gitzel said that as part of the fundraiser, if people donate $10, the club will send a rose and a package of chocolates with a valentine made by some students in Airdrie to seniors living in care facilities.
According to Gitzel, the first two years of the fundraiser couldn’t have had a greater reception.
“The seniors love it; they're all thrilled,” said Gitzel.” I mean who doesn't love getting a rose?”
When allowed by the facilities, Gitzel said the delivery crews try to hand all of the valentines off to seniors in person, which has made for some pretty memorable reactions.
“The first year we delivered to the Bethany Care Centre and one of the ladies there had absolutely nothing to say to us, she just was going to eat the cookie no matter what,” said Gitzel. “It was pretty awesome, we had made her day.”
Gitzel said that it was important for the Airdrie 1st Club to do the fundraiser because of the positive impact it can have on seniors in the community.
“My dad is in a facility and [seniors] always like to know you’re thinking of them,” she said. “The community should be thinking of them all the time.”
On February 14, members of the Airdrie 1st Club will be delivering flowers and chocolates, along with handmade valentines, to care facilities first thing in the morning. The rest of the orders will be delivered between 10 am to 12 pm and again from 5 pm to 7pm.
All of the money raised by the Valentine’s Day sale will go towards funding the Airdrie 1st Club’s events, as well as their Christmas Hamper Program.
