News Release
December 18, 2018

Today at Castleview Wychwood Towers Long-Term Care Home, Councillor Josh Matlow (Ward 12 Toronto-St. Paul’s), the City of Toronto’s Seniors Advocate, and Mark MacLean, Managing Director of Home Instead Senior Care, along with Santa and a group of children from Hillcrest Community School acting as “honorary elves”, handed out gifts to residents. This gift-giving event was part of Home Instead Senior Care’s annual “Be a Santa to a Senior” program.

“Seniors are an integral part of what makes this city great,” said Councillor Matlow. “I’m proud that we have an opportunity to partner with an organization that celebrates seniors and that makes the season a little bit brighter for them.”

The “Be a Santa to a Senior” program aims to bring gifts and holiday cheer to seniors in the community who might not otherwise receive gifts during the holiday season. Sponsored by the local Home Instead Senior Care office, the program brings together local non-profits, retailers, numerous volunteers and members of the community to make this happen.

This year, Home Instead Senior Care partnered with RBC Capital Markets, Accenture and teams from Toronto Western Hospital to purchase gifts for residents at Castleview Wychwood Towers, one of the City’s 10 directly-operated long-term care homes. Residents were invited to write their gift request on a “Be a Santa to a Senior” ornament, which was hung on a Christmas tree in the Home. Volunteers collected the ornaments, shopped for the gifts and delivered them to the residents.

Information about “Be a Santa to a Senior” is available at https://www.beasantatoasenior.com/.

“We’re always excited to see how much ‘Be a Santa to a Senior’ provides moments of joy to seniors during the holiday season,” said MacLean. “We are grateful to be a part of a community that comes together to make this happen.”

The City’s Long-Term Care Homes & Services are leaders in excellence and ground-breaking services for healthy aging with a commitment to CARE (Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence).

Toronto is Canada’s largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of more than 2.9 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world’s most livable cities. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/TorontoComms, on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cityofto.

 

                                     

Aggie Fortier
Strategic Communications
647-269-6248
Galen Wright
FleishmanHillard HighRoad
647-869-8697