Anne Marie Madison CMUN Dept Website Coordinator

The Sweetest Days

by Anne Marie Madison

Volunteering begins to take a somewhat rigid form when pursued as just going to a soup kitchen or donating gently used clothes. To really make a difference, the key to volunteering is donating time.

In 1946, a French nobleman named Armand Marquiset established Les petits freres des Pauvres (Little Brothers of the Poor). The idea was to serve the poorest of the poor – the elderly people of Paris who had lost their savings and family due to the destruction of World War II.

Marquiset’s vision spread to Chicago by 1959, leading to Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly, an organization committed to enable Chicago’s seniors to spend meaningful time with people who care about them. Their motto, “flowers before bread,” encompasses this goal. As stated by the founder, “it expresses that spirit that man does not live by bread alone: It is the human touch that makes life worth living.”

As a double major in Spanish and Communication, I opted for a Spanish internship with Little Brothers. Of nearly 1,000 Chicago elderly involved with Little Brothers, nineteen percent are Hispanic and speak very little if any English. Talk about feeling isolated.

Being involved in the internship program required bi-monthly visits to each of my four elderly friends. Each visit meant scheduling time to go to their home or going out to do an activity together for at least an hour. I found myself staying an average of three hours at most visits, not knowing where the time had gone (just like with any good friend).

At first I felt intimidated when I thought about spending my afternoons with elderly Hispanic women. The stereotype about the majority of elderly people entails wreck less drivers and cookie bakers. What could a college student and an elderly woman possibly have in common?

Listening to their immigration experiences, stories of their husbands who have passed on, opinions about the world, religion, government, and numerous other topics was incredible.

Our experiences were different, and theirs much more numerous, but there was always an understanding achieved.

Getting involved with this organization opened my eyes to the need many elders have of a simple friendship. They want to laugh, cry, joke, and tell stories just like everyone else.

The things you worry about may change as you grow older. For these women, at least they wouldn’t have to worry that their sweetest days would be spent alone.