Now that morning or mid-afternoon pick-me-up has the potential to make a difference in the local community.
Last Thursday, the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Alzheimer Society launched its annual Coffee Break fundraising campaign, where residents at Fairmount Home were the first to raise a steaming hot cup of Joe in support of the cause.
"Coffee Break is one of the major fundraisers for the Alzheimer Society across Canada, not just KFL&A," said Education Coordinator Jillian Dahm-McConnell. "What it is, is a way to garner some support and today kick off what we hope will be a number of them that happen in the community over the next couple of months."
Dahm-McConnell noted that the Coffee Break at Fairmount Home was just one of 80 Coffee Breaks so far that will be hosted by organizations and individuals throughout KFL&A in the months to come.
What exactly is an Alzheimer Society Coffee Break? Quite simply, it's an everyday coffee break in support of programs and services offered by the Alzheimer Society.
"So in general, especially for businesses, everyone has a coffee break at some point in time during their day, where coworkers gather and have a quick chit-chat and a coffee. In this situation we actually provide the coffee and a little kit with some paraphernalia from the Alzheimer Society, and instead of either putting into the coffee can that you normally do at work, or gong to Tim Hortons, you spend the money and give a donation to the society," Dahm-McConnell explained.
She mentioned that in some cases volunteers have taken the traditional Coffee Break to a new level, hosting cheesecake parties or brunches.
"They sort of make it into whatever they want, but the bottom line is that the money is being raised for the society and it all goes to the programs and services that serve our clientele."
This year, the KFL&A Alzheimer Society is hoping to raise $63,000 through the Coffee Break campaign, a slight increase over last year's fundraising goal."We're always reaching for a little bit more," Dahm-McConnell said, noting that only 30 per cent of the organization's budget is covered by government funding.
"So 70 per cent of our budget relies on the donations of organizations and individuals, so that is why this has become such an important part of our annual budget."
Dahm-McConnell explained that every donation made at Coffee Break events stay within the local KFL&A region, and that money is used to support a wide range of programs and services offered through the organization. Services such as individual and caregivers support groups and education and training programs.
Dahm-McConnell noted that she believes the simplicity of the Coffee Break concept is what has made it so successful over the years.
"It's very user friendly if you will, and a lot of it involves the congregation of people and socialization, which is always a nice sort of break to the day. So it's not re-inventing the wheel by any means, it's just building on what people do naturally, and it makes it easier for people to get involved because it's not a lot to do."
Individuals, organizations and businesses that are interested in hosting their own Coffee Break in support of the KFL&A Alzheimer Society are invited to call (613) 544-3978.
kcoughlar@perfprint.ca
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