Spot Cares: Calgary Senior Resource Society

Spot Power is a locally owned and operated business dedicated to giving back to the communities that have been supporting them for over a decade. The Spot Cares Program was introduced in 2021 and aims to support organizations doing good in the community. Through the Spot Cares Program, Spot Power will be donating 10% of its net profits from the sale of electricity, natural gas, and Internet service to deserving organizations.

“We are proud to launch the Spot Cares Program in support of some truly remarkable organizations in Alberta,” said Nick Clark, Director of Spot Power. “We are so thankful to the thousands of Albertans who have chosen us as their utility provider. It is because of their ongoing support that we are able to give back to our community in this way.”.

In this blog, we take a closer look at the Calgary Seniors’ Resource Society (CSRS), the first deserving organization to join the Spot Cares Program.

“We chose to support the Calgary Seniors' Resource Society because of the work they do to assist vulnerable seniors in our community,” said Clark. “Seniors built this province, and we appreciate the care and hard work that goes into keeping them happy, healthy, and supported. We are proud to contribute to the health of our senior community!”

CSRS was created in 1995 with the joining of three separate organizations: The Senior Citizens Central Council of Calgary, The Calgary Community Support Services for Seniors, and Outreach Project for Eastern Core Seniors. Priding themselves on being an all-encompassing organization focusing on assisting seniors and allowing them to maintain a sense of independence while living alone, the organization is an invaluable resource to The City of Calgary. The CSRS is dedicated to providing support services to senior citizens that create a meaningful and effective change in the overall well-being and quality of life.

Dianne Cooper-Ponte works as an Associate in Fund Development for CSRS and has been a staff member for 12 years after previously volunteering for the program. We talked to Dianne about CSRS and how participating in the Spot Cares program will be beneficial to the work they do.

Spot Power (SP): Tell us about CSRS.

Dianne Cooper-Ponte (DCP): The CSRS was developed by three agencies that came together back in 1995, realizing they could do more together than separately. Over the years we’ve grown and have developed the three pillars of Calgary Seniors’:

Outreach Support: This is one of our main programs. We have a team of registered social workers that do outreach, they’re part of the ‘Way In’ network which covers all of the senior-serving agencies that provide outreach. They handle long and short-term case management. Examples of this would be assisting with applications and helping seniors get everything they need to apply for their benefits and pensions or assistance with housing applications because it can be difficult for seniors to manage all the forms and references required.

Senior Connect: The Senior Connect team is made up of registered social workers who are more like a crisis response team. We’re partnered with the Distress Centre, and if someone sees a senior in distress or they have concerns about a senior in their family or even in the neighbourhood they can call the Senior Connect number, record their concerns with the Distress Center and those concerns are passed on to one of our social workers. Our social workers then deal with the crisis, they usually see the client the same day or the next day and then get them connected to long-term support. We have seen a lot of issues around homelessness, abuse, food insecurity, or people’s power being shut off because they haven’t paid the utilities. So they are able to work with the client, get them stabilized and help them get the appropriate long-term support.

Volunteer Services (known as ‘Senior’s Social Support’ or ‘S3): They manage all our volunteers. We currently have about 2,600 volunteers who deliver practical and emotional support to seniors to help prevent isolation.

SP: What makes the CSRS so important?

DCP: I think all of us can relate to the issues seniors have. I was originally a volunteer with the agency before I ever came to work for them and my husband was also a volunteer for 20 years. I think all of us realize that not all seniors are as fortunate as the seniors in our lives like my mother, my stepfather, my father, all of whom have passed now. They had resources, they had family who were there to support them all along the way, even my grandmother, my great grandmother, they all lived with family and had lots of grandchildren. Many of the seniors we deal with don’t have children or are estranged from what family they may have. Seniors tend to feel isolated if they don’t have anyone to encourage them and I think that’s what all of us at the agency here see. You don’t really work at a non-profit unless you have a passion for the work that you’re doing.

SP: What kind of impact will donations from the Spot Cares Program have?

DCP: The impact is immeasurable. We support seniors in many ways because there is no other way to support them. There are no government programs, or there are limited government programs and sometimes it’s a long-term wait before you get approved in certain programs. Having money that is unrestricted and not connected to any specific program, allows us to use it for say, when a senior needs to have the rent paid because they are going to be evicted, or we need to get them food and they aren’t eligible for the food bank so we would take them shopping to get groceries so they are able to be safe and secure and well-fed. Everything we do, any funding we get, does really go to the seniors. We also have to pay our social workers, and they’re not all funded by the government. There was one senior who was in very poor health and he was living in a home with a number of other seniors and he had a bedroom but he had no bed. He was sleeping on the floor which wasn’t very good for him and his medical condition so we arranged to get a bed frame and mattress for him. These are the things that the funds we raise go to help.

SP: What does the future hold for the CSRS?

DCP: Since I first became a volunteer, and then an employee, the agency has grown significantly in both the number of employees and our space. We just had some new space added on because we don’t have room for all the employees. We’re going to continue to grow because the need is not going away. The ‘grey tsunami’ is on its way, it’s practically hitting us now. Unfortunately because of COVID, or partly because of COVID, some near-seniors that were maybe hoping to work a few years longer have not been able to do so, which means we will be seeing them needing support until they can get back on their feet. We really believe in giving a hand-up and not a hand-out so people don’t rely on us 100% of the time. We are working to find solutions to the situation they are in so that they will be able to prosper on their ageing journey.

Spot Cares is proud to support the Calgary Seniors’ Resource Society by donating 10% of the profits from customers' bills to the organization. We all have seniors in our lives that we love and care for. When you sign up for electricity, natural gas, or Internet services with Spot Power, you become part of a bigger picture. Join us in helping to give back to the local community by switching over to Spot Power today.

Want to do more? Visit the Calgary Seniors’ Resource Society’s donation page to donate directly.