When the pandemic hit and Jelica (Helen) Jusic’s usual volunteer duties were put on hold, the 84-year-old Calgarian still wanted to make a difference in her community.
The question for her was just how she was going to do so. The rehabilitation facility where she usually helped out was closed to outside visitors, as were seniors residences and many non-profit organizations that usually welcomed volunteers.
So, Jusic created her own pandemic project to help brighten other people’s days. Each afternoon around 3:30, she walks down the block from her Bridgeland home to the four-way stop at the corner of 12th Street and 1st Avenue N.E. to give a welcoming wave to drivers making their way home or navigating through the neighbourhood.
For about 90 minutes, Jusic stands on the corner waving, smiling and giving virtual hugs to all those who pass by.
“They say a little kindness goes a long way. . . . This spreads kindness,” says Jusic. “So many people over the months have stopped to tell me how much this means to them.”
Regular passersby have gotten to know Jusic over the past year. Children shout out a personal hello to her, as they ride by in their parents’ vehicles. Motorists toot a greeting with their horns. And some have showered her with thank-you cards, chocolates, treats and flowers, for making their days a bit cheerier.
“I’m doing this to make others feel good, but I feel so good, too, when I do this,” says Jusic, a breast cancer survivor who worked at the General Hospital for many years before retiring. “I feel so happy that the Lord gave me something to do to make people feel better.
“You’re only as old as you feel . . . and when I see everyone waving back at me, I feel young,” adds Jusic, who this month was given a Noble Neighbour citation — an award that celebrates the positive contributions of seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jusic’s idea of finding an innovative way to better her neighbourhood isn’t unusual.
“There are countless stories of seniors making a difference in their community,” says Kim McConnell, chair of Calgary’s Top 7 Over 70 organization, which created the Noble Neighbour citations. “Their age, in fact, is a driver in helping them contribute in new and interesting ways.”
Case in point? Noble Neighbour recipient Otto Silzer. During the summer, Silzer volunteers to do landscaping at the Lions Village seniors’ complex and, last year, with many traditional events cancelled for residents, he also worked with other Lions Club members to deliver a COVID-safe Christmas dinner for them.
Additionally, Silzer learned that seniors at several Bethany Care sites wouldn’t be able to participate in their annual Christmas light tour last holiday season, so he installed light displays at the residences.
“They were a beautiful sight and reminder of the community’s care for our seniors this winter,” says Jennifer Vance, administrator for Bethany Calgary. “With limited visiting and no trips out, they were a beacon of joy and hope for residents, staff and family.”
The light displays were right in Silzer’s wheelhouse. As chair of the society that organizes the Lions Festival of Lights at Confederation Park each year, the 80-year-old Silzer has been a driving force behind the popular holiday display for 34 years. He’s also held a variety of roles with the Bethany Care Society, including being a board member for the Bethany Care Foundation, and says four or so decades of volunteer work is a key part of what keeps him going.
“I’ve always been involved with trying to assist others,” says Silzer, a chartered professional accountant who says volunteering was always important to his family — he’s the youngest of 14 children.
His advice to other Calgarians? “I think everybody can do something; it doesn’t have to be manual labour,” Silzer says. “It can be anything that is an inspiration to younger people . . . To get out and do things in the community, and to be involved, keeps you active and young at heart.”
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Nominations are now open for the biennial Top 7 Over 70 awards. Application forms are available here.
Article originally published by Postmedia Calgary; reprinted with permission 2021.