A group of at-risk youth from Agassiz spent their Christmas Day giving back to seniors in need. Alternate students from the Agassiz Centre for Education fundraised for weeks and volunteered their time for a community brunch. The centre pairs at-risk teens with seniors, giving both groups a chance to bond with each other.
Many of the seniors have no family to spend Christmas with, so it would have been a lonely occasion had it not been for the group of volunteers.
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Tessa Kucheran, a volunteer and graduate from the high school program says she’s benefited from their years of wisdom, especially through her pregnancy.
Kucheran’s Christmas spirits were also lifted by spending time with people who she now considers to be like family.
“I have no family in B.C., so being here it gives me a sense of purpose, and seeing their smiles, it makes me feel like I have family.”
The morning feast united generations and helped erase preconceptions about the other.
The relationship does not begin and end with Christmas. Teens and seniors get together every second month at the legion for lunch.
With files from Elaine Yong.
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