Before committing to Little Brothers, Denise had already been toying with the idea of helping isolated seniors for some time. For this young retiree from the Lanaudière region, the desire to help is nothing new.
“I was a beneficiary attendant in a CHSLD for 30 years. I remember a lonely lady whom a volunteer came to pick up for Christmas dinner. If you could have seen the happiness in her eyes! For her, it was a great occasion, and I thought: what a great way to offer time!”
Feeding hearts
Involved with the organization for 3 years, she derives real satisfaction from the joy she brings to the lives of the Great Friends she accompanies. “I do good for people, I feel useful and valued. I really feel like I exist.
Denise measures the impact of her presence by the smiles she gets. And her Great Friends are very grateful: “At this age, every moment is precious, and so is every smile. My aim is to lighten their hearts with every visit.
Most of the time, the most sincere happiness can be found in the smallest things. A stitched button, a few photos in an album, a chat or a stop at the nearest café. “I sometimes drive them to their errands along the country lane,” she says. “The light that shines in their eyes when they hear the birds and see the animals is so beautiful! I watch them marvel like children, and I tell myself I’m doing a good deed.”
Giving, even on vacation
At other times, such as during summer visits to the Domaine Juliette-Huot, unexpected moments of happiness arise: “I remember this lady who thought she couldn’t dance. Well, we managed to convince her, and she danced with her walker to the point of surprising herself. In one evening, she looked 20 years younger.
For Denise, these little and big moments spent alongside Great Friends are precious, very precious, and far justify her continued commitment to Little Brothers.
“Over time, the discomfort disappears,” she says. “We gain their trust and a real bond develops. We become truly representative in their eyes. And then, what’s one afternoon a week in my life? For all the good it does me, I assure you it’s nothing.”
Denise, on behalf of all the Great Friends whose daily lives you brighten up: a huge thank you!
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