My name is Jordyn and this remarkable, life changing journey all began in July of 2009 when I met Alice. Alice is a published poet, struggling with Parkinson’s disease. She is a senior living in an assisted living facility nearby where I live in Charlotte, North Carolina. Since 2009, I have visited Alice every Sunday to help her type her new poetry, organize her things, read her poetry and anything else she needs. In addition, we just spend time exchanging life stories. With all the time I spend with her, I have learned a lot about Alice and her life. It is personally rewarding for me, and I believe for her because she has something to look forward to.
I have seen many senior residents of assisted living facilities who do not always have their family and friends available to visit them, or have volunteers who can spend quality time with them. It is painful to see seniors suffer from not having quality companionships and consequently losing their connection with the community. This can lead to depression, lower quality of life, health risks and, ultimately, a shorter lifespan. In an aging population, this will only get worse.
Shortly after I began volunteering with Alice, I stepped back and began thinking about why should I be the only one with this life changing experience. In addition, how can I help many seniors have companionship and remain connected with the community, not just here in Charlotte but across the country. This is why I created Adopt-a-Mimi, a 501(C)3 non-profit organization that facilitates young adults to connect, “adopt,” senior individuals living in assisted living facilities. This connection will provide critical companionship to reverse and help eliminate the impact of isolation that elderly residents experience in assisted living facilities and provide them with an overall positive outlook on life.
My vision is to dramatically improve the lives of senior citizens and provide young adults with a life changing experience through creating a social network that connects seniors in assisted living facilities with other generations on a mass scale. I would like to personally thank everyone who has and will support my dream of Adopt-a-Mimi.