9th Annual Series of Event Invites Ontarians to Sit alongside Seniors in their Community and Reconnect with the Wisdom of our Elders
ONTARIO, May 29, 2024: As Ontario marks Seniors Month for June 2024, the organizers of the #ElderWisdom campaign are inviting community members and younger generations across Ontario to engage with older adults and discover the wealth of knowledge, talent and experience they have to offer.
The campaign was first launched in 2016 based on the vision of Ron Schlegel – a humble philanthropist, an urban developer with a unique vision of community, a visionary in health and long-term care and a hard-working farmer, all tied into one brilliant and cheerful package. He is an elder in society with a wealth of wisdom to impart, but perhaps one of his greatest specialties is his understanding of elderhood.
Mr. Schlegel is the founder of Schlegel Villages, a collection of 18 long-term care and retirement communities across southern Ontario that embraces basic values of family and community. His vision of a social model of living to counter the institutionalization of long-term care continues to expand, and that vision is certainly inspired by the experiences he had as a child working with older adults in their final years.
“The greatest untapped resource in Canada, if not the world,” Mr. Schlegel once said “is the collective wisdom of our elders.”
It is this thought that grew into the #ElderWisdom campaign, which throughout Senior’s Month in June the past eight years has reminded community members of the value that older adults have in lived experience. Throughout June, the green bench will appear in local libraries or in a few specific cases, Villages will host events. Residents from our Villages will be there upon the benches and the community is invited to sit and share conversation.
“It’s sad to say but agism seems to be the last acceptable form of prejudice in our society,” says Ted Hudson, one of the key organizers of the campaign, “but when younger people get past the stereotypes that come with getting older and just sit and talk with an elder, those ageist barriers break down. That’s what makes the #ElderWisdom campaign so special and it’s amazing to see the conversation spread.”
The opportunity to sit with older adults for a little while during this specific campaign reminds us all of the value to be found in such depth of experience, and encourages people to see past the stereotypical views that follow aging to see that, in the minds and hearts of seniors, much remains on offer.
Media Contact:
Ted Hudson
Ted.Hudson@schlegelvillages.com
519-496-5984
Kristian Partington
Kristian.Partington@schlegelvillages.com
705-313-0472
Events and Locations:
- Tuesday, June 4th – Burlington Public Library
- Saturday, June 8th – Essex County Library, Tecumseh
- Saturday, June 8th – London Public Library
- Monday, June 10th – Mississauga Library
- Tuesday, June 11th – St. Jean de Brebeuf Catholic Secondary School, Hamilton
- Tuesday, June 18th – The Village of Humber Heights, Etobicoke
- Wednesday, June 19th – Whitby Public Library
- Thursday, June 20th – The Village of Sandalwood Park, Brampton
- Saturday, June 22nd – Essex County Library, Windsor
- Saturday, June 22nd – Waterloo Public Library
- Monday, June 24th – Guelph Public Library
- Tuesday, June 25th – Barrie Public Library
- Tuesday, June 25th – Kitchener Public Library
Click here for more information in our #ElderWisdom toolkit or visit elderwisdom.ca
About Schlegel Villages: Schlegel Villages is a leading seniors’ living and care provider in Ontario. Schlegel Villages designs, builds and operates village-style retirement communities with their signature main street and town square designs and which include independent apartments, retirement living, assisted care, memory care and long-term care.