In 24Slides, we value giving back to the communities that surround us. We have an incredible team of committed people who are always willing to take an active part and make a positive difference in the world. That’s why we established our “24Volunteer” initiative, where employees from any 24Slides office can use 3 fully compensated work days for volunteer work. We’re always amazed by the amazing initiatives and work that 24Sliders come up with!
This last time, our colleagues from Copenhagen got together with “Cykling Uden Alder” (“Cycling Without Age”), a global initiative that provides leisure rides for senior citizens, to spend an afternoon with the people of a local retirement home.
This article was written by Jayne, Customer Success Manager at 24Slides Denmark, as part of 24Slides’ #StorytellerProgram.
In August, a few teammates from the DK office, Anna, Tania, Holk, and I, volunteered at a local retirement home. We had two different kinds of bicycles: a “rickshaw” style and a “side by side,” so we could cycle some of the residents around to the large local park, “Valbyparken.”
The weather was excellent, sunny with a cool breeze, and the park had recently made an area with a multitude of colorful flowers, where we stopped for a moment to let the residents have a look. They were all beaming with joy, enjoying the ride, weather, fresh air, and nature, and it filled our hearts to have the opportunity to get them out and about on such a nice day. It was also a wonderful experience for us to get away from our desks for a few hours, get in some exercise, and soak up some Vitamin D!
The organizer of our trip of “Cykling Uden Alder”, Arne, has been volunteering for many years with the larger organization, which also runs Internationally, and says that he loves it so much that he has a hard time deciding whether to go on holiday himself, as he misses the opportunity to work with the elderly while he’s away. We could definitely see why — as when asking one of our passengers how she was feeling, she answered, “This is simply the most wonderful day I could ever ask for.” Hearing that filled us with so much delight that we certainly felt it would be worth volunteering again.
One can only imagine that even though the retirement home, Huset William, is a beautiful, well-kept, clean, and spacious facility, for people who have been alive and experiencing the world for at least 80 years, no longer exploring at one’s own leisure must truly take its toll. Although those with youth and energy might take it for granted, having the chance to get out and about can be a luxury as age creeps up.
Organizations like Cykling Uden Alder are quintessential to the well-being of the elderly, and we were so pleased to have had an opportunity to participate.
The first cycle tour took around an hour: 30 minutes to get to the park’s flower arrangements, 10 minutes to look around, and 20 minutes on a quicker route back to the retirement home. Of course, we also had to cycle slowly, as even though the cycles were electric, we had to be mindful of all bumps in the road to avoid making it uncomfortable for our passengers.
On the second round, a live concert had just started at Huset William, so we had fewer passengers, as the residents lined up early to eagerly get the best seats in the house. We think it’s lovely that the facility organized so many events to keep the residents entertained!
We made the most of our opportunity despite having fewer passengers, and this time went down to the shoreline just beyond the original park, which was great for getting some fresh air and discussing our experience as a volunteer group.
When we were cycling back, we even saw some alpacas! A shoutout to our Peruvian colleagues. 🙂
Overall, we can only agree with the residents we cycled around – it truly was a wonderful day, and we’re thankful to organizations like Cyckling Uden Alder for giving us this opportunity!