Why was there a military operation taking place in a local seniors' home, you might ask? Well, there were games to be played, like bean bag baseball and cards and board games and everything in between. And you had the 40 Snowbird Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron and a whole host of seniors looking to play those games.
So, that’s where Operation Good Samaritan comes in.
Close to a dozen members of the local squadron took part in the event, following up on last year’s visit to Chez Nous that was a wild success.
“Citizenship is part of one of the aims of air cadets, to be good citizens, so what better way to learn how to be a good citizen than start in your own city and learn from the elderly people and the elderly people learn from us,” said Lt. Training Officer Athena Cutts. “A lot of cadets don’t have grandparents of their own and a lot of grandparents don’t have people always visiting them, so this is a great way to touch the community.”
Cadets spent the afternoon at Mulberry Estates and played a variety of games while also just visiting with the seniors and sharing stories.
“The seniors really enjoy visiting with the cadets and the cadets love to be in uniform in the community, and it gives them common ground to talk about,” Cutts said. “A lot of seniors have experience in the past with the military so it works out really nicely.”
Flight Sergeant Connor Johnson was one of the cadets taking part and expressed his enthusiasm for the visit.
“I think it’s great, one of our cadet core values is community service and that’s one of the things we really thrive on,” Johnson said. “It’s great to be able to do something like this and give back to the community that has given back so much to us.
“And especially in events with demographics like this, where they have given so much to us in the past and it’s only right that we give our time back in return. Especially since it’s just our time, not intensive labour or anything.”
Sgt. Emma Cherney also took part in the Chez Nous visit and was impressed with the experience.
“It’s wonderful for the community and to be able to give back and hear their stories,” she said. “It could even have a benefit for us in the future, and it’s just awesome for learning and getting out of our houses, learning things that most kids don’t get to learn.”
