Amazing Adventure is a fun way to help seniors in York Region and South Simcoe

September 28, 2023 · 0 Comments

If you’re a whiz at solving puzzles, getting out of escape rooms, thinking outside of the box to complete a challenge – or even simply like to unwind at the end of the day with Survivor or The Amazing Race – there will soon be plenty of fun to be had close to home all for a good cause.

On Sunday, CHATS (Community & Home Assistance to Seniors) launched the countdown to The Amazing Adventure, a community-wide challenge set for October 15 that will see community-members form teams and take on various challenges at checkpoints throughout York Region and South Simcoe.

“Buckle up for an epic adventure, unravel puzzles, complete challenges and fill your passport to victory honouring our in-home heroes,” says CHATS, which aims to provide home care for area seniors, as well as day programs, to allow residents to age in place, in their homes, as long as possible.

The event will begin at 9.30 a.m. at CHATS’ head office in Aurora and will finish at Newmarket’s Market Brewing Company.

It’s intended to raise awareness of issues facing seniors and their caregivers as well as to fundraise for CHATS’ programs that are designed to combat social isolation and keep seniors engaged.

“We don’t know what the challenges are; it’s all top secret, but we know that they are going to be very challenging and will test people’s decoding skills as well as their listening skills,” says CHATS CEO Christina Bisanz, noting that organizers are keeping challenges under wraps for now. “It’s just a fun way of doing something different, of travelling around the Region, getting to see different communities in the areas that CHATS actually serves, and it’s a great event for families to participate in, get everybody’s brains working on trying to decode the clues and so forth. It’s good for different ages and just a great way to get people out into the community for a day.”

With an entry fee of $50 per person, Bisanz says the funds will support CHATS’ “In-Home Heroes” with a focus on their in-home programs and services, like Home Help which provides clients with support to carry out routine household activities and chores, including light housekeeping, shopping, meal preparation, and other “household management tasks.”

It also encompasses their Meals on Wheels program where CHATS clients are able to choose from several nutritious soup and entrée options, all frozen and delivered directly to clients’ homes by volunteers.

“Another program is our Personal Private Care where personal support workers help with personal needs such as bathing, toileting and dressing, and social support,” says Bisanz. “We have in-home caregiver relief, respite care, to provide a much-needed break for somebody who is perhaps a little overwhelmed in caring for their loved ones. There are a number of in-home programs that CHATS provides and the money raised will go to support things like subsidies, when clients need some subsidy support to pay for these programs, such as the Meals on Wheels, or private care. It might go to providing different types of supplies and things like that, that are not covered through our regular budget.

“This is a really very unique event, it is something that can be for family participation in a car and there will be prizes for the best-decorated cars, best costumes, best teams and it is going to be an all-round fun, full day. This is an event that is encouraging families, friends and community groups to gather in teams and have a lot of fun – something that is a little different but, at the same time, gives back to the community supporting CHATS and our seniors.”

For more information, including how to register yourself or your team, visit chats.on.ca/events.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter