Celebrate Every Season
Details
Northern Alberta
The Idea
At Sage Seniors Association, located in downtown Edmonton, we serve a diverse community of older adults from across the city. Many of the seniors who come to Sage face barriers related to income, health, mobility, and social isolation—but they also bring resilience, humour, and strength that too often go unseen. Our building sits in a highly visible area of downtown marked by complex urban challenges including addiction, poverty, and homelessness. While these issues shape the landscape outside, inside Sage is a welcoming, life-affirming space where seniors connect, grow, and feel safe.
Celebrate Every Season! is our vision to foster connection, visibility, and joy for older adults by hosting inclusive seasonal celebrations each quarter—Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Celebrations will acknowledge birthdays of the season, offer entertainment, refreshments and free mini-services such as eyeglass fittings or walker tune-ups to add value and encourage at-risk seniors to attend. These events are more than social gatherings; they are intentional opportunities to combat isolation, promote wellness, and showcase the vibrancy of aging.
As part of this initiative, we will also leverage our highly visible location to enhance our street presence with visual elements—such as colour, age-positive messages, images, or quotes—that celebrate seniors and healthy aging. This will not only signal a welcoming space to those approaching the building, but also contribute to a greater sense of safety and belonging in a location that is often overshadowed by visible social issues. By combining placemaking with social engagement, Celebrate Every Season! offers moments of joy and visibility—both inside Sage and out. This initiative will not only uplift the seniors we serve, but also remind the community that aging is something to celebrate—not hide.
With support from the Field Law Community Fund, we will animate our community space, nurture meaningful connections, and create powerful reminders of the value of Edmonton’s older adults.
Who Will Benefit?
Older adults across Edmonton—including many who are low-income, live alone, or face barriers to full community participation—will benefit directly from Celebrate Every Season!. Sage serves seniors city-wide, offering programming, connection, and support in a central location. While our building is in a neighbourhood impacted by visible social issues, seniors who visit Sage for support services, volunteering, or to participate in programs reflect the broader fabric of the city—diverse in background, identity, and circumstance.
Many Sage members and participants face the compounded challenges of aging: declining mobility, shrinking social circles, or difficulty accessing affordable services. Others are caregivers themselves, juggling responsibilities while navigating their own health and wellbeing.
This project will provide meaningful, accessible touchpoints for connection and support. Seasonal celebrations will offer:
- Opportunities for socializing and peer connection
- Access to free wellness-related services
- Culturally-inclusive engagement activities
- Positive visibility for aging in a city context
Sage is also home to numerous cultural, language-based, and peer support groups for seniors. These groups will be invited to co-create and participate in each seasonal event, making the celebrations truly reflective of the seniors who attend—while also offering them something consistent and positive to look forward to.
Beyond our members, these celebrations will benefit the broader downtown community. Our placemaking interventions will turn our prominent street-front into a publicly visible message of hope and strength—offering visual reminders that seniors are not invisible. By placing older adults in the public eye in joyful, life-affirming ways, we help combat ageism and promote dignity for all.
This initiative isn’t just about celebration—it’s about belonging, visibility, and wellbeing, delivered through moments that honour both the individual and the collective experience of aging.