Our programs are meant to enhance the lives of individuals 60 years or older who are alone or isolated in our communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
All of our senior nomination come from our community partners and care facilities.
We are not able to accept self-referrals at this time.
If you know of a senior who is isolated and alone and living independently in the community you can contact any of the following organizations that provide support through The Way In – Calgary Older Adult Services. By encouraging seniors to become involved with The Way In program, they are not only able to receive support from Seniors Secret Service at Christmas and on their birthday but will receive year round support from the Service Coordinators at The Way In.
Bowmont (CFS) office: North & West – 403-286-1811
Alexandra (CFS) office: Central – 403-705-0593
CSRS office: North & East – 403-266-6200
JFSC office: South – 403-287-3510
CCECA office: City-wide Mandarin & Cantonese – 403-269-6122
To make a donation, visit our Donation page. All donations are eligible for a tax receipt. We are grateful for each and every donation we receive.
Our Secret Santa’s come from all walks of life. If you are interested in becoming a Secret Santa, please check out the Christmas Cheer Program page where you can find more information about registration.
Each of our Secret Santas is given a helpful profile of his or her special senior. This profile, which is drawn up by the care provider who nominated the senior to the program, will include a list of gift ideas from which you can choose.
Seniors Secret Service does not specify an exact amount you should spend on a gift for your senior, however an average gift costs between $85 and $150.
We will post specific drop off locations as we get closer to drop off times. Watch our blog for updates!
Usually around the end of November we will hold a gift drop off weekend. Secret Santas bring their gifts to one of the participating Calgary police stations. The gifts will then be transported by volunteer elves to our workshop (or seasonal warehouse), where volunteer elves sort and inspect each one, ensuring it will go to the senior for whom it is intended. The gifts are then delivered to the seniors’ agencies, where the care providers participating in the program present them to their special seniors.
Volunteers play a crucial role in Seniors Secret Service. Besides Secret Santas, we rely on volunteer elves to help sort the gifts once they arrive at our workshop. We also need volunteers to help plan and carry out our fundraising events, make Birthday cards and Christmas crafts, and provide administrative and professional support. For more information, contact us!
We have had volunteers of all ages work with us but it has been dependent on the specific position. Please contact us if you have any more questions.
We welcome groups to volunteer! Please contact us to find out more.
We have numerous opportunities that range from once a year for 5 hours at the gift sort to volunteering for several hours at our monthly Birthday Bee. We can find an opportunity that suits you! For more information, contact us!
If you have any other questions about our registered charity, contact us. We promise to reply to your query as soon as we can. You can also reach out to executivedirector@seniorssecretservice.com
Absolutely! We are more than happy to create a corporate sponsorship package that works for your organization. Please contact the Executive Director at executivedirector@seniorssecretservice.com for more info.
At this time, we do not facilitate introductions to the seniors who receive gifts. This is a complicated process and there are a number of privacy sensitivities that we have to respect.
You can either make a monetary donation towards the cost of purchasing the items we put in the birthday gifts or you can purchase the items themselves and drop them off at our office. To learn more, go to the Birthday Cheer page.
Seniors Secret Service receives no government funding except for a casino fundraiser that is held every 18-24 months, nor do we receive ongoing funding through the United Way. All our funds all come from service clubs, corporate, individual, and foundation donors as well as third party fundraisers held on our behalf. Our annual cash budget is approximately $336,000. We operate with one full-time staff and several seasonal support staff at Christmas. You can see our financial report here.