How one woman’s idea to ‘adopt a grandparent’ ballooned into joy for 750 seniors.
Though her job is to create fanfare for customers, Tiffany Marino, owner of Confetti Castle, shies away from any fanfare over her naturally giving spirit. But a recent idea to adopt a grandparent at local senior living centers has ballooned (pun intended) into something much bigger.
It started last week, when Marino stumbled across a fundraising post from a fellow balloon business in Wisconsin. It had launched an “adopt a grandparent” fundraiser to collect donations for balloon buddies to be donated to seniors for Valentine’s Day during the coronavirus pandemic.
“People are really looking for ways to give back and be of service right now, and there are so few avenues with COVID,” Marino said.
“Thirty minutes after reading that post, I decided this was something we could do. It was a way we could bring joy, which is all I’m focused on being in the balloon business. So, I put up a post and set a goal of raising enough money to donate to 50 seniors. Half an hour later, we had $1,000 in donations; 30 minutes after that it was up to $1,500 and after three days we hit $10,500. Never in a million years did I think that would be the response.”
The tally is now at a staggering $19,000 and growing. That will equate to more than 750 smiling faces among Charlotte’s elderly.
The idea of bringing joy and comfort to seniors is one that is particularly meaningful to Marino.
“For years we would visit my mother-in-law, who suffered from dementia, at her care facility. There would be 10-12 of us there, and I would look around and see many people with no one. On one occasion we were hugging goodbye and this woman came up to my sister in law and said, ‘Can I have one?’ When my sister-in-law asked, ‘One of what?’, she simply replied — A hug’. That moment really stuck with me.”
Local bakeries providing cookies
When Marino posted an Instagram video visibly overwhelmed by the community support, she got a call from Caitlin Foster at Cakelin’s Cakes and Cookies. Foster wanted to support the effort by donating a cookie to go along with each balloon buddy delivery.
“I immediately got a feeling that I needed to do something, and baking for people is how I show my love,” Foster said. She is teaming with Cassandra Tindell, owner of Mainely Cupcakes, to provide the baked goods. The cookies and balloons both share the message, “You are Loved.”
Marino is working with various senior living centers around the city to make deliveries, starting with Carrington Place this Thursday.
“You can never imagine what a blessing this is to have someone do this for our residents,” said Robin Dieker, the activity director at Carrington Place. “Unless you have worked with and have been around residents in long term care, I don’t think that you can truly know the depth of what they have been through. This is not your typical quarantine — this has totally disrupted their lives in all aspects, spiritually, physically, socially, emotionally and yes their freedom of having their family within reach. Depending on the cognition of the resident, some don’t understand it and feel that they have been abandoned.”
Dieker described residents’ reactions when being given balloons or treats for various occasions throughout the year. “The sheer joy of seeing their faces when you pop into their room with a bunch of balloons is priceless. When talking to them it comes down to the fact that someone thought of them.
“We have had some say, ‘These are mine, just for me.; We have smiles, tears of joy and laughter. The thought that someone has gone out of their way to think of them, the instant change in demeanor and facial expressions is priceless. What a wonderful thing that Tiffany is doing for our residents here at Carrington Place has been a true blessing.”
How you can help
For those in the community looking to play a part in this heartwarming project, you can still adopt a grandparent for $25 on the Confetti Castle website. “People are saying, ‘I’m doing this in honor of my grandmother, who passed away during COVID,” Marino told WCNC. “And we didn’t get to hug her for six months.’ Like, it’s heartbreaking.”
The team is also accepting cards and notes of cheer and encouragement from the community at its 717 Atando Ave. Suite C warehouse. A box is located outside for COVID-19 safe collection. These notes will be taken to the senior centers along with the balloons and cookies.
Biodegradable and environmentally conscious
Another way that Confetti Castle shows its commitment to the community is by using latex biodegradable balloons. Made using the sap from rubber trees, Tuftex balloons from Maple City Rubber utilize latex from certified carbon neutral latex vendors and biodegrade in the same amount of time as an oak leaf.
“You know that kind of powdery coating that makes balloons appear matte? That is actually the start of the biodegradation process,” Donovan told CharlotteFive. “It starts the second that sunlight hits the balloons.” Additionally, Confetti Castle takes a strong stance on not selling balloons for releases as part of its efforts to remain environmentally conscious.
This story was originally published January 19, 2021 at 12:03 PM.
