On Saturday, April 23rd, 2011 a small but solid group of alumni from the Princeton Club of Northern California gathered to participate with Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly,  and to complete home visits and reach out to isolated elderly in SF.  Andrew Wu ‘01, Elizabeth Cobb ‘99, Mark Ellis’99 and Michele Bateman ’97, President of the Board of Directors, at LBFE, met at the LBFE assignment center and were matched up with elders looking for a friendly visit for spring.  Andrew & Mark actually paired up and went to visit John. Andrew said, ‘Our senior was lively and surprisingly up to date on events.  We talked about Facebook (he knew about Facebook!) and answered his questions as to why anyone would use Facebook, what others could see on your profile, and what privacy implications there were involved with using Facebook.’  Andrew also commented that their ‘old friend,’ “offered [them] some treats sent by his niece, and seemed to like the flower that was included with the meal for Easter Sunday.  He thought,”…it was particularly special that we got to visit him on his actual birthday (he turned 93 years old!)”

Liz Cobb, ’99, said, “The experience was wonderful, and meant a great deal to me. I loved visiting with Lamar and hearing his stories of Amsterdam, Germany, and San Francisco in the 60s. He mentioned the visit meant a lot to him, too.” Liz, who could double for a volunteer recruiter, encourages PCNC alumni and friends to come to future events with Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly, regardless if they missed this one. She said, “The event was well-run and superbly organized--a great volunteer experience! I especially appreciated the attention to detail from start to finish.”

We at Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly would definitely like to see you and your friends and family at a future event, or be able to match you with an isolated elder looking for friendship. A smile and a flower go a long way to healing the body and soul. Yours and theirs! Check out the organization at www.littlebrotherssf.org

Michele Bateman ‘97