A Cold Lake business is giving local communities an opportunity to show some love for seniors.
With cold and Covid conspiring to keep communities cooped up, Jessica Jubinville of Chic Perfection is distributing colourful, festive balloon arrangements to residents in seniors’ residences and Long-Term Care in Cold Lake, Bonnyville, and St. Paul.
“Adopt A Grandparent” is a national movement, Jubinville says, and balloon professionals like herself have been promoting the idea across the country.
“All seniors everywhere are going through kind of the same thing with feeling cooped up and not being able to see anybody,” she said. “And it’s almost been a year now. So they need to be reminded that they’re loved and still thought about.”
Jubinville is creating and delivering the arrangements at cost. Individuals and business can “adopt a grandparent” for $15 per balloon arrangement.
So far she has collected enough for everyone in Cold Lake residences and Long-Term Care, and Extendicare in Bonnyville. She starts deliveries this week, and will deliver to each residence once she has collected enough for everyone in the residence to receive an arrangement.
She plans to spread the love to Bonnylodge, Bonnyville Long-Term Care, and to St. Paul.
The Valentine’s Day timing for the initial deliveries was a deliberate choice, she said, but Adopt-A-Grandparent isn’t necessarily a Valentine’s Day event.
“I figured for Valentine’s Day, showing the love. We’re thinking about love all the time, so it kind of worked out that way,” she said. “Cold Lake will get them before Valentine’s Day and then Bonnyville will be in the weeks after, and then we’re moving on to St. Paul.”
Jubinville started Chic Perfection as an event planning business, but when the pandemic put a stop to events and gatherings, she put more emphasis on balloons.
“Obviously balloons are a part of most celebrations in life,” she said. “I kind of dived into the balloon world a little bit before last year. I’d just been doing small garlands and stuff but once Covid hit, I had to pivot my business to continue going.”
She’s grateful for the response to Adopt-A-Grandparent, and she’s excited to start deliveries.
“There’s the people that have ‘adopted’ already, all of the community that has shared the word and got this out. There’s numerous businesses in this community that have helped me get the word out and there’s a few that have taken some donations as well for me. Obviously, this wouldn’t happen without any of them, so the community’s been great,” she said.
“I’m excited to start delivering next week and to get pictures and some feedback from the seniors themselves.”