Community groups urge connection this holiday season

Several community groups are reminding Calgarians about the importance of connection this holiday season.

In the past several years, the Canadian greeting cards market has shrunk by more than half, according to an IBISWorld research report.

People have transitioned to paperless substitutes and social media.

That’s had an impact on many older adults who love receiving traditional holiday cards.

Carya, a Calgary social impact agency, is trying to help by collecting cards until Dec. 19.

Cards with a nice message can be dropped off at any Carya office location.

“We know that in the Calgary community, seniors are some of the fastest-growing populations and also some of the most vulnerable. We’ve established this incredible campaign to bring a little bit of holiday joy into the hands and homes of individuals who might be isolated this holiday,” said Tiffany Stevenson, Carya director of investor and public relations.

Receiving cards has made a big difference in Sadie Dancey’s life.

According to her daughter, Bonnie LeBlanc, she used to send and receive around one hundred each Christmas.

But that’s changed, and Dancey is now in palliative care, so LeBlanc posted on X and asked strangers to step up.

“We’ve received 229 cards from all across Canada, some from the states; the furthest away so far is Germany. She’s ecstatic. Every day, she waits by the door, waiting for my dad to show up from the mailbox between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Every day. It just puts such a big smile on her face,” said LeBlanc.

LeBlanc is encouraging as many people as possible to send cards to:

Brent & Sadie Dancey

PO Box 38100

Calgary RPO Country Hills, AB

T3K 5G9

Tough time

For some, the holiday season is a time of love and happiness; for others, it can be extremely depressing and stressful.

Distress Centre Calgary (DCC) experiences an influx of calls to its crisis response line this time of year.

“People are concerned; people are overwhelmed. We’re spending a lot more money around the holiday seasons. Perhaps employment concerns are starting to come forward. There are family dynamics that we have to work through,” said Emily Braun, senior development officer at DCC.

The crisis response line is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

You can call or text at 403-266-4357.

There’s also a live chat function on its website.

DCC has launched its Keep Human Connection Alive campaign.

Every dollar donated will be matched up to $100,000.

The fundraiser helps to ensure every call, text and chat is met with a real person who can listen and help.

“We’re really leaning into keeping human connection alive, because we know that human connection saves lives,” said Braun.

Donations can be made on distresscentre.com.