What: Formed in 1971, The Holiday Project is a national all-volunteer
organization with chapters in a large number of cities throughout the United
States. The Holiday Project's central function is to organize volunteer visits
to shut-ins at hospitals, nursing homes, and other institutions. It is perhaps
best known for its annual Christmas Day visits, but many chapters sponsor visits
on other selected dates throughout the year.
The Houston area chapter of The Holiday Project operates under the auspices of
VOLUNTEER HOUSTON, a member agency of our local United Way.
Why: Holidays are times for connecting-- with family...friends...the community
at large. Many thousands of our neighbors are cut off from this connection due
to health problems, advanced age, or other circumstances. The Holiday Project
provides a way to let these persons know that they have not been forgotten and
to brighten their lives by brightening their day!
When:
Visit dates planned for 2008 are as follows:
2008
Valentine's Day Saturday - 2/9/08 (9:30 a.m.) [From Central location]
Valentine's Day Saturday - 2/16/08 (9:30 a.m.) [From Willowbrook location]
Easter Saturday - 3/22/08 (9:30 a.m.)
Mother's Day Saturday - 5/10/08 (9:30 a.m.)
Father's Day Saturday - 6/14/08 (9:30 a.m.)
Fourth of July - 7/4/08 (9:30 a.m.) (tentative)
Grandparents Day Saturday - 9/6/08 (9:30 a.m.)
Veterans Day Saturday - 11/8/08 (9:30 a.m.) (tentative)
Thanksgiving Day - 11/27/08 (9:30 a.m.)
Christmas Day - 12/25/08 (9:30 a.m. and 12 noon)
(Note: The Fourth of July and Veterans Day visits focus
exclusively on a residential facility for homeless veterans.
All other visits will be
to area nursing homes, with the veterans' facility an additional option if
volunteer numbers permit.)
Where: Volunteers
meet to form visit teams at any of the following three locations (click on any
to see map of the area and contact information for that site) :
CENTRAL (Greenway Plaza area):
River Oaks Hospital (formerly "Twelve Oaks Hospital" -- 4200 Twelve Oaks Drive
NORTHWEST (near Willowbrook Mall):
Heartland Health Care Center at Willowbrook -- 13631 Ardfield
How: At each
meeting location volunteers will break into teams to go to assigned visit sites.
(Each volunteer is responsible for his/her own transportation.) They will each
be given a map to the site, greeting cards to share with the persons they visit,
and cookies to offer to those they visit. At the individual visit sites each
team will re-form and proceed with the visit under the guidance of the team
captain. Time spent at the visit sites varies from visit to visit, but typically
a visit lasts from 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. (One of the variables affecting
the duration of a visit is the question of whether we are permitted to visit
from room-to-room for those persons who don't get out of their rooms.)
Who: That, of course,
would be YOU. Make an upcoming holiday more than just another date on the
calendar by giving the gift of yourself!
For more information, or to get your name on an upcoming visit roster, contact
Walter Black at 713-964-0229 or by e-mail at
wrb@volunteercenter.us.
Click here to see a few snapshots from a recent Holiday Project visit.
Additional note: If you would like to get involved in making greeting cards for
any of our Holiday Project visits, click here to see some simple guidelines for
making the cards and information on the locations to which the cards can be
mailed or delivered.
|
