Sad News: TLK is in the process of closing. Thanks for your support. Bless you!
Meet Sherry (pictured center with (l) TLK Exec. Dir. Terri Mahoney and (r) TLK Board Treasurer Barb Geier) who enthusiastically became the very first TLK FRIEND receiving in-person visits. This visit marks a special milestone for TLK, because it's our core vision to form genuine friendships . . . while keeping everyone safe taking all COVID precautions.
Sherry has already shown us sharing good conversation, extending kindness and making connections benefit everyone involved -- TLK FRIENDS (seniors) and TLK COMPANIONS (volunteers who visit).
The community's support of Tender Loving Kindness continues to move us! That's why we're launching more volunteer opportunities to connect the growing numbers of people who share our mission -- ending elderly loneliness -- with the growing numbers of seniors who are interested in making connections through our programs -- our TLK FRIENDS.
We're following every public health measure to coordinate safe TLK COMPANION visits at select senior resident facilities. Knowing COVID can change things at any moment, remote connections are also available through phone-a-TLK FRIEND calls, pen pal partnerships and encouragement card writing.
Get involved today! You can access and download our volunteer application here.
Or, send an email to our executive director at terri@tenderlovingkindness.org if you'd like to connect a senior with our kindness programs.
What started as students at Millard Children's Academy graciously coloring color pages created by Tender Loving Kindness to brighten seniors' days, became a student-led heart project exceeding everyone's expectations. Students created a whopping 2,300 art pieces, far exceeding the goal they set for themselves. WOW!
TLK shares more than 300 of their masterpieces each month with seniors -- TLK FRIENDS, as part of its ongoing encouragement card exchange with residents at Via Christe, St. Joseph Villa, Brighton Gardens of Omaha, Ambassador Health of Omaha and Omaha Nursing and Rehab Center. Thanks to the above and beyond kindness of Millard Children's Academy students, seniors at these residences feel a heart connection through their art.
We're actually excited a whole lot because Tender Loving Kindness has received its 501c3 status -- making donations now tax deductible with the IRS and allowing us additional perks to partner in the community. We're very proud of this milestone and very grateful for those who generously gave their time and/or financial support during 2020 - - our inaugural year.
A meSSAGE
FROM OUR
EXECutive Director
Open for Kindness
Every step in our journey -- from Feb. 2020 when we became a nonprofit in Nebraska, to March 2021 when we became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the IRS, to now -- COVID has made our mission to end elderly loneliness all the more important, and yet very challenging to make in person connections with seniors as is our core vision. We do not yet have a meeting place of our own -- our someday special TLK home, so we have no actual doors to open. However, our hearts are fully open with kindness and we know there are people we could be lifting up right now. We have done our due diligence and are in a position where we can move forward with select visits with seniors - our TLK FRIENDS - when facilities tell us it's safe for all involved to do so. We are a humble group and don’t need all the bells and whistles. We're starting where we are and adapting as we go to make meaningful connections with seniors.
Right now, I think the most important thing we can do is reach out to those who have been lonely for far too long. They need to know they have not been forgotten and their life has meaning. They can recapture some of the joy that has slipped away.
Thank you to all who have supported us along the way. We hope you will continue to support us in any way you are comfortable with. If you or someone you know could use some Tender Loving Kindness on a regular basis, please reach out to us and help us make a connection. Feel free to contact me anytime if you have questions, comments or even know of a space we could call home. As you go about your daily lives, please remember to be as kind to yourself as you are to others!
God Bless you!
-Terri
our mission
Loneliness is a health epidemic affecting all age groups - especially the elderly. Tender Loving Kindness (TLK) exists to make a tangible, lasting heart connection between the elderly and our volunteer "Kindness Companions." It's our mission to spend meaningful time, spread genuine kindness and strengthen the quality of life of the elderly we serve within the Omaha Metro area. Ultimately, the mutually beneficial friendships we foster bring deeper purpose and meaning to everyone involved. And, that's good medicine for emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing.
Who's TALKING
ABOUT LONELINESS
Take a listen to Vivek Murthy, MD and the 19th Surgeon General of the United States, explain why he named loneliness a national health epidemic. Acclaimed sociologist and vulnerability researcher Brene Brown interviewed him on her "Unlocking Us" podcast.
WHAT LEADING EXPErTS
ARE SAYING
tHE ELDERLY ARE OFTEN ALONE AND SOME ARE EVEN FORGOTTEN. pLEASE HELP US BRIGHTEN THEIR LIVES. You can make a difference!