Volunteers Spread Festive Cheer at Mercy Place Woree

Christmas will arrive a little early for residents living at Mercy Place Woree this week, as a group of local well-wishers deliver Christmas cards, gifts and bon-bons to the not-for-profit home to spread some festive cheer.

The group of kind-hearted locals include Gloria Steel, Jill Holmlund, Marcia Rawnsley and Cheryl Ellingworth, who have coordinated and donated the Christmas parcels for residents, many of whom are in their 80s and 90s and have even passed their centenary.

“We are a small group of seniors who meet regularly for coffee and a chat, and we were all very aware that before COVID-19, many students from local schools visited nursing homes like Mercy Place Woree, particularly at Christmas,” says Marcia Rawnsley, who has lived in Cairns for 27 years.

“As this hasn’t been possible this year, we took it upon ourselves to write Christmas cards to all of the residents and chose small gifts that we could wrap beautifully to give to them, which was all done with much chatter and laughter amongst our group. We now just hope that this gesture will add to the Christmas experience for all the seniors at the home.

Mercy Place Woree Service Manager, Charlene Reyes, says residents consistently benefit from the kindness of Cairns locals, especially at Christmas time.

“Some of our residents may not have the opportunity to spend the festive season with family or friends, so we’re really grateful to our wonderful community, particularly the ladies involved with this initiative, who have taken the time to bring our residents some early festive cheer,” says Ms Reyes.

“We are so fortunate to have many dozens of volunteers who contribute to the lives of our residents throughout the year, whether that is via organising activities, knitting and sewing gifts or simply spending time with residents to reduce loneliness. And although things have been a little different this year due to the pandemic, Cairns locals have still found ways to show they care.

“Bringing happiness to others at this special time is the real spirit of Christmas.”

The women involved are planning to deliver the Christmas parcels to staff at Mercy Place Woree on Thursday morning, 17 December, who will then ensure they are safely delivered to residents.

Find out more about Mercy Health.