October 31, 2025 • 12 mins
We spoke with Deb Bibbins, Founder and CEO of For All Ages, about the Comfort and Joy Holiday Card Drive, inviting everyone to create handmade holiday cards that will be delivered to veterans and chronically ill adults across the state.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm
Alison de Merz. My guest this morning is deb Bibbins.
She is founder and CEO of For All Ages.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Good morning, Good morning, Hello Ellison. Thanks so much for
having me on today.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
My pleasure for those who don't know about For All Ages.
How did it come about?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
We launched the organization in twenty nineteen, so a few
months before the pandemic, and it was launched after I
watched a family member's struggle with loneliness go through a
time at the end of his life, after he had
lost a lot of his friends and his social network shrunk,
and I recognized that there was some loneliness creeping in
(00:42):
and I frankly didn't know what to do about it.
And so after he passed in early twenty nineteen, I
started doing research and learned about the connection between loneliness
and so many mental and physical health impacts that it
has decided to go forward and launch an organization to
(01:02):
make a difference for residents of all ages across the state.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Is loneliness the number one killer of people?
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Well, I wouldn't say it's the number one killer, but
what we certainly know is that loneliness causes anxiety and depression.
It also causes substance use and abuse and suicidal ideation.
And for older adults, what's really troubling, Alison, is that
there are physiological impacts. So starting with an increased risk
(01:34):
of heart disease upwards of about thirty percent increased risk
for lonely older adults, a fifty six percent increased risk
of stroke, and the one that gets to me the
most is that it leads to cognitive decline and a
fifty percent increased risk of some form of dementia. And
(01:54):
so we have the power within our hands to help
one another, help ourselves and help one another mitigate loneliness
and stay healthy.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
So what is it that for all ages does to
help people.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
We are all about empowering people to build real connections
in their lives that transform their health and that transform
their life outcomes. And we do this through intergenerational connection
programs that we host free of charge, some in person,
some virtual around the state. We do this year round.
(02:28):
We also host educational workshops on social health and how
to improve your social connectivity, and we host community events
and they are all about giving people the tools, the
opportunities and the support that they need to build blasting
connections in their everyday lives.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
So you pair people off, would you say, like an
older person and a younger person.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yes, that's one part of our mission. So that would
be the intergenerational friendship component of our three parts of
our mission. One of our programs, for instance, is called
t at three and it is a twelve week program
that connects an older adult with a college student for
a weekly phone call and two people are connected one
(03:12):
to one based on common interest. We've had more than
eight hundred people across the state participate in that program
since we launched it in twenty twenty. We have eighty
four people across the state participating this fall.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Wow, that is wonderful. What kind of feedback have you
received about this?
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Well, every semester we hear so much about the powerful
impact of giving people a sense of belonging. Right, we
all want to belong We all want to feel that
we are part of something, part of a community in
that people appreciate listening to us. Right, we want to
be heard, and so this program does that for both
(03:52):
the younger and the older participants. We know also that
after the younger adults anticipate in the program, they feel
better about their own aging, and they feel differently about
older adults, and they feel better about older adults. You know,
we have so many older adults that participate, and obviously
(04:13):
they have a lifetime of wisdom to share and they're
given an opportunity to do that. And when the students
walk away, they realize that how powerful expertise and wisdom
that just come naturally with aging really is, and so
they feel better about that. We also know that that
people feel more likely willing to go out and make
(04:37):
other connections in their local community, whether that be at
you know, having the willingness to go out and maybe
sit down at a coffee shop and engage a stranger
and just you know, a brief conversation, or whether it
be at college right on a college campus. As people
are striving to find their new community. When they move
(04:58):
away from their family and friends that they've known for
years and they're out on their own, people are more
likely to take action to improve their social connectivity. So
all good things.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
So you do something very very special this time of year,
if you could please explain it to our listeners or we.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Are hosting the Comfort Enjoy Holiday card Drive. We started
this during the pandemic and have carried it through now
focused on the holidays, which is the loneliest time of
the year, and we are so excited to be doing
this again this year. You know, last year we had
(05:37):
more than thirty organizations around the state, from elementary school
students and Girl Scouts all the way up to corporate
groups coming together to hand make holiday cards that we
then deliver to isolated older adults across the state in
assisted living in memory care communities, to veterans across the state,
(05:59):
and patients at the hospital for special care. Many of
them live their lives there just due to their health situation,
and so this is all about making the communities brighter
for some of our most vulnerable neighbors and letting them
know that they matter, that they are remembered, and they
are not alone. You know, when you think about it,
(06:22):
many people that are at an assisted living or memory
care facility or veterans, they may be spending the holidays
without family nearby, and so when they are able to
open up a handwritten card that's filled with beautiful, kind
words from someone who cares, their faces light up because
(06:43):
they feel seen, they feel valued and they feel connected.
And you know, staff also tell us that these cards
aren't just sort of once and done, but they are
proudly displayed by the people that receive them, and they're
re read over and over again, sometimes for months months later,
(07:03):
and they are thinking about the cards and it's a
reminder that they are, that they are seen, and they're valued.
And so these cards truly make a lasting impact. I
can tell you that the people who create the cards
often tell us it fills them with joy as well.
And so we are inviting people to visit our Comfort
(07:26):
Enjoy page on our website, and that is for our
ages dot org comfort and Joy cards with dashes in
between every word, and to sign up. Let us know
that you're going to be making cards, or you're going
to be hosting a gathering, whether it be with family
members after Thanksgiving or perhaps it's at the work in
(07:47):
your workplace in early December, that you're going to bring
people together to make cards. Our goal is five thousand
cards this year, so together, I believe that we're going
to do this. We already have more than twenty five
organizations signed up and we will collect all the cards.
(08:08):
On the website are some collection sites libraries that have
already raised their hand and said absolutely we want to
be a part of this. And so if there isn't
a collection site near you, you can always mail the
cards to our pobox which is Pobox sixty one and Simsbury.
And we're inviting people to make cards so that we
(08:29):
can make the holidays special for how our most vulnerable neighbors,
and together, I believe that we're going to do this.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
In order to do this, you need money, so people
can make donations as well. Correct if they just go
to four Allages dot org.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Yes, you can make a donation right at four All
Ages dot org. There's a donatetab at the top of
our website, or if you go to the Comfort Enjoy
cards page and you scroll down, there's an opportunity to
make a donation. We do actually drive these cards. We
organize them all, we put them in envelopes, and we
(09:08):
drive them to individual facilities all around the state. And
so there are some costs for sure in organizing and
sorting and delivering the cards. Ten dollars will support the
delivery of twenty five cards. And if you are an
organization that can perhaps afford one hundred dollars donation or
(09:29):
more and become a sponsor. We'd love to see you sponsor.
All of that information can be found at the Comfort
Enjoyed Cards page on our website, along with our cardmaking guidelines,
So if you go to if people go to the
page and they scroll down, there are guidelines of what
to write inside the card. We try to stay away
(09:50):
from a faith focused so steer away from Merry Christmas
and stay with the more generic happy Holidays or see
since greetings sort of greeting for people so that we
know that we can deliver them to anyone. We are
especially excited to share that Governor ned Lamont is going
(10:12):
to be proclaiming December tenth, which is our final collection date,
as Comfort Enjoy Day here in the state of Connecticut,
recognizing the importance of what we're doing and the importance
of connection during the holiday season and supporting and uplifting
this initiative.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Did you ever think it would come to this when
you began several years ago.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Well, you know, I'm just so excited to be making
a difference in the lives of so many people around
the state. All of our programs. When you consider the
intergenerational friendship programs, our community events, and our educational workshops.
We've touched the lives of forty thousand people and that
(10:54):
is phenomenal. As a small nonprofit that is volunteered, driven,
volunteer powered to touch the lives of forty thousand people,
it's meaningful.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Absolutely, you had an idea, you followed through on it
and look what came to fruition. How beautiful.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Oh, thank you, Allison. It's exciting to be a part
of it. And you know every day that I am
out in the community, gathering with community members and working
alongside volunteers who are rolling up their sleeves to help us.
It just gives me personally such a sense of fulfillment.
And I wouldn't I wouldn't be doing anything else right
(11:34):
now in my life. I'm just so overjoyed with my
ability to do this on a daily basis and to
help others.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
I'm speaking with deb Bibbins. She is founder and CEO
of for All Ages Again. If you'd like to participate
in any of this, become a volunteer, a sponsor, donate,
make a card, go to four Allages dot org. Thank
you so much for being here today. And for bringing
comfort and joy to everyone.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Oh, thank you so much Allison, it's been a pleasure,
and thank you for your support for this initiative.
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm
Alison de Merz. My guest this morning is deb Bibbins.
She is founder and CEO of For All Ages.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Good morning, Good morning, Hello Ellison. Thanks so much for
having me on today.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
My pleasure for those who don't know about For All Ages.
How did it come about?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
We launched the organization in twenty nineteen, so a few
months before the pandemic, and it was launched after I
watched a family member's struggle with loneliness go through a
time at the end of his life, after he had
lost a lot of his friends and his social network shrunk,
and I recognized that there was some loneliness creeping in
(00:42):
and I frankly didn't know what to do about it.
And so after he passed in early twenty nineteen, I
started doing research and learned about the connection between loneliness
and so many mental and physical health impacts that it
has decided to go forward and launch an organization to
(01:02):
make a difference for residents of all ages across the state.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Is loneliness the number one killer of people?
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Well, I wouldn't say it's the number one killer, but
what we certainly know is that loneliness causes anxiety and depression.
It also causes substance use and abuse and suicidal ideation.
And for older adults, what's really troubling, Alison, is that
there are physiological impacts. So starting with an increased risk
(01:34):
of heart disease upwards of about thirty percent increased risk
for lonely older adults, a fifty six percent increased risk
of stroke, and the one that gets to me the
most is that it leads to cognitive decline and a
fifty percent increased risk of some form of dementia. And
(01:54):
so we have the power within our hands to help
one another, help ourselves and help one another mitigate loneliness
and stay healthy.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
So what is it that for all ages does to
help people.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
We are all about empowering people to build real connections
in their lives that transform their health and that transform
their life outcomes. And we do this through intergenerational connection
programs that we host free of charge, some in person,
some virtual around the state. We do this year round.
(02:28):
We also host educational workshops on social health and how
to improve your social connectivity, and we host community events
and they are all about giving people the tools, the
opportunities and the support that they need to build blasting
connections in their everyday lives.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
So you pair people off, would you say, like an
older person and a younger person.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yes, that's one part of our mission. So that would
be the intergenerational friendship component of our three parts of
our mission. One of our programs, for instance, is called
t at three and it is a twelve week program
that connects an older adult with a college student for
a weekly phone call and two people are connected one
(03:12):
to one based on common interest. We've had more than
eight hundred people across the state participate in that program
since we launched it in twenty twenty. We have eighty
four people across the state participating this fall.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Wow, that is wonderful. What kind of feedback have you
received about this?
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Well, every semester we hear so much about the powerful
impact of giving people a sense of belonging. Right, we
all want to belong We all want to feel that
we are part of something, part of a community in
that people appreciate listening to us. Right, we want to
be heard, and so this program does that for both
(03:52):
the younger and the older participants. We know also that
after the younger adults anticipate in the program, they feel
better about their own aging, and they feel differently about
older adults, and they feel better about older adults. You know,
we have so many older adults that participate, and obviously
(04:13):
they have a lifetime of wisdom to share and they're
given an opportunity to do that. And when the students
walk away, they realize that how powerful expertise and wisdom
that just come naturally with aging really is, and so
they feel better about that. We also know that that
people feel more likely willing to go out and make
(04:37):
other connections in their local community, whether that be at
you know, having the willingness to go out and maybe
sit down at a coffee shop and engage a stranger
and just you know, a brief conversation, or whether it
be at college right on a college campus. As people
are striving to find their new community. When they move
(04:58):
away from their family and friends that they've known for
years and they're out on their own, people are more
likely to take action to improve their social connectivity. So
all good things.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
So you do something very very special this time of year,
if you could please explain it to our listeners or we.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Are hosting the Comfort Enjoy Holiday card Drive. We started
this during the pandemic and have carried it through now
focused on the holidays, which is the loneliest time of
the year, and we are so excited to be doing
this again this year. You know, last year we had
(05:37):
more than thirty organizations around the state, from elementary school
students and Girl Scouts all the way up to corporate
groups coming together to hand make holiday cards that we
then deliver to isolated older adults across the state in
assisted living in memory care communities, to veterans across the state,
(05:59):
and patients at the hospital for special care. Many of
them live their lives there just due to their health situation,
and so this is all about making the communities brighter
for some of our most vulnerable neighbors and letting them
know that they matter, that they are remembered, and they
are not alone. You know, when you think about it,
(06:22):
many people that are at an assisted living or memory
care facility or veterans, they may be spending the holidays
without family nearby, and so when they are able to
open up a handwritten card that's filled with beautiful, kind
words from someone who cares, their faces light up because
(06:43):
they feel seen, they feel valued and they feel connected.
And you know, staff also tell us that these cards
aren't just sort of once and done, but they are
proudly displayed by the people that receive them, and they're
re read over and over again, sometimes for months months later,
(07:03):
and they are thinking about the cards and it's a
reminder that they are, that they are seen, and they're valued.
And so these cards truly make a lasting impact. I
can tell you that the people who create the cards
often tell us it fills them with joy as well.
And so we are inviting people to visit our Comfort
(07:26):
Enjoy page on our website, and that is for our
ages dot org comfort and Joy cards with dashes in
between every word, and to sign up. Let us know
that you're going to be making cards, or you're going
to be hosting a gathering, whether it be with family
members after Thanksgiving or perhaps it's at the work in
(07:47):
your workplace in early December, that you're going to bring
people together to make cards. Our goal is five thousand
cards this year, so together, I believe that we're going
to do this. We already have more than twenty five
organizations signed up and we will collect all the cards.
(08:08):
On the website are some collection sites libraries that have
already raised their hand and said absolutely we want to
be a part of this. And so if there isn't
a collection site near you, you can always mail the
cards to our pobox which is Pobox sixty one and Simsbury.
And we're inviting people to make cards so that we
(08:29):
can make the holidays special for how our most vulnerable neighbors,
and together, I believe that we're going to do this.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
In order to do this, you need money, so people
can make donations as well. Correct if they just go
to four Allages dot org.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Yes, you can make a donation right at four All
Ages dot org. There's a donatetab at the top of
our website, or if you go to the Comfort Enjoy
cards page and you scroll down, there's an opportunity to
make a donation. We do actually drive these cards. We
organize them all, we put them in envelopes, and we
(09:08):
drive them to individual facilities all around the state. And
so there are some costs for sure in organizing and
sorting and delivering the cards. Ten dollars will support the
delivery of twenty five cards. And if you are an
organization that can perhaps afford one hundred dollars donation or
(09:29):
more and become a sponsor. We'd love to see you sponsor.
All of that information can be found at the Comfort
Enjoyed Cards page on our website, along with our cardmaking guidelines,
So if you go to if people go to the
page and they scroll down, there are guidelines of what
to write inside the card. We try to stay away
(09:50):
from a faith focused so steer away from Merry Christmas
and stay with the more generic happy Holidays or see
since greetings sort of greeting for people so that we
know that we can deliver them to anyone. We are
especially excited to share that Governor ned Lamont is going
(10:12):
to be proclaiming December tenth, which is our final collection date,
as Comfort Enjoy Day here in the state of Connecticut,
recognizing the importance of what we're doing and the importance
of connection during the holiday season and supporting and uplifting
this initiative.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Did you ever think it would come to this when
you began several years ago.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Well, you know, I'm just so excited to be making
a difference in the lives of so many people around
the state. All of our programs. When you consider the
intergenerational friendship programs, our community events, and our educational workshops.
We've touched the lives of forty thousand people and that
(10:54):
is phenomenal. As a small nonprofit that is volunteered, driven,
volunteer powered to touch the lives of forty thousand people,
it's meaningful.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Absolutely, you had an idea, you followed through on it
and look what came to fruition. How beautiful.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Oh, thank you, Allison. It's exciting to be a part
of it. And you know every day that I am
out in the community, gathering with community members and working
alongside volunteers who are rolling up their sleeves to help us.
It just gives me personally such a sense of fulfillment.
And I wouldn't I wouldn't be doing anything else right
(11:34):
now in my life. I'm just so overjoyed with my
ability to do this on a daily basis and to
help others.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
I'm speaking with deb Bibbins. She is founder and CEO
of for All Ages Again. If you'd like to participate
in any of this, become a volunteer, a sponsor, donate,
make a card, go to four Allages dot org. Thank
you so much for being here today. And for bringing
comfort and joy to everyone.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Oh, thank you so much Allison, it's been a pleasure,
and thank you for your support for this initiative.
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