As a prospective volunteer, you’ll gain valuable insights on working with older adults, handling various situations and Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly’s practices and policies.

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter of Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly (LBFE) is dedicating its newly installed exterior mural on Thursday, June 20, at 1 p.m. at its offices at 1845 East Lake Street in Minneapolis. The community and media are invited to the dedication celebration.

The three-part mural, which was funded by a Great Streets grant through the Lake Street Council, celebrates elders and the importance of friendship to offset isolation and loneliness as we get older. Joining in the dedication ceremony are representatives from the Lake Street Council, Corcoran Neighborhood, other community leaders, LBFE elder members and muralist Elissa Cedarleaf Dahl, A jazz ensemble from South High School will provide entertainment.

Dahl’s creation spans the 45-foot length of the brick building along East Lake Street. At its highest point, the mural extends nearly 18 feet from the ground. It depicts three separate pairs of friends.

“The whole time I was designing this mural I was thinking of my relationship with my grandmother, the things we would do together, and the warmth I felt for her,” said Dahl. “I tried to embody these feelings with the different friendship pairs, showing a closeness and a comfort.”

Dahl painted the images of the pairs of friends, who are representative of LBFE’s Visiting Companions program, on parachute cloth and adhered the cloth to the brick. To create the elements surrounding the elders, Dahl collaborated with LBFE’s elder program participants.

“The elders who helped to create this mural chose objects and symbols that represent the friendships they found through LBFE,” she explained.

“LBFE has a simple mission to connect caring volunteers with lonely older adults,” said James Falvey, LBFE’s Executive Director. “This mural shows the beauty of those friendships while depicting a positive image of aging. We hope it will inspire more people to join us and forge a new friendship with a wonderful older adult in our community.”

Media Contact: LuAnne Speeter, Director of Communications and Marketing

Phone: 612.746.0753

Email address: lspeeter@littlebrothersmn.org

As a prospective volunteer, you’ll gain valuable insights on working with older adults, handling various situations and Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly’s practices and policies.