Recognizing the need for a gathering place and programming for seniors in North Philadelphia, a group of community residents, members of One Hope Community Church and Esperanza’s Social Services and Community Health and Wellness departments discussed how they could collaborate to address the situation. As a result of their leadership, Esperanza’s first-ever community Seniors Group met on December 4 at our Hunting Park site. Esperanza’s Sandra Lopez, RN, head nurse at Hunting Park, shared about an interaction she had with one of the attendees: “The participants walked out with smiles in their faces, and one gentleman even had tears in his eyes when I told him ‘I’ll see you next Thursday, God bless you!’ He hugged and kissed me…and then he said, “He already blessed me, you guys are amazing.'” The following week, seniors sang Christmas carols, participated in a Christmas photo booth, enjoyed games and made crafts. In January, a new “silver sneakers” low-impact fitness class for seniors will begin, and weekly gatherings will continue at the Hunting Park site. 

Just how many hats can Esperanza’s staff knit for our patients before Christmas? It’s a question that many people asking here, as an ever-growing number of our staff have been loom-knitting winter hats all this fall to give to patients as Christmas gifts. The colorful (and warm!) hats have gotten rave reviews by our patients and have been greatly appreciated. And, if the weather this winter in Philadelphia turns out to be anything like last year’s winter, the hats will definitely come in handy!

Your Gift Makes a Real Difference!

A gift to Esperanza will make a real difference by enabling us to provide excellent bilingual care to our patients, without regard for their ability to pay. Your gift will also enable us to provide many services that would otherwise not be available: nutrition counseling, fitness classes, chaplaincy support, social services, behavioral health consultation, and others. Thank you for considering a year-end gift. From all of us…Merry Christmas!