Wrapping Up the Holidays: Donations by Cogir Senior Living and Tellico Village

January 7, 2025

As we conclude the first week of 2025, let’s take one last look back at the 2024 holidays. We received countless emails from senior living companies and communities that perpetrated many acts of kindness, and these two examples give you an idea of what the industry was doing to help others these past few weeks.

At Cogir Senior Living they treated November as an opportunity to give back through its Cogir Cares initiative. Cogir communities across the country came together before the holidays to collect canned goods for local food banks, and this year’s haul netted more than 7,000 cans of food to help families in need during the holiday season.

Cogir Cares was part of Cogir’s ongoing effort to foster a sense of community, purpose, and connection among its residents, team members, and surrounding neighborhoods. Residents participated by designing decorative collection boxes to display throughout the community and in the lobbies of local vendors. Communities like Solista Orem and Cogir of Brentwood collected more than 1,000 cans each!

“I am incredibly proud of our communities for their heartfelt participation in the Cogir Cares program,” said Vice President of Lifestyle Engagement Paula Sikes. “This achievement is a testament to the compassion and dedication of our residents, staff, and neighbors who came together to make a tangible difference.”

The more than 7,000 cans collected by Cogir communities directly supported local food banks and provided essential resources to individuals and families facing food insecurity.

Meanwhile, in Loudon County, Tennessee, for the fourth consecutive year Tellico Village will give Christmas trees new life at The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee. This community tradition is led by Lynda Parker; this week, Parker and a team of volunteers will begin loading trailers with Christmas trees for the four-hour journey to deliver the trees to the Elephant Sanctuary. Last year they donated 130 trees.

“I’m excited to help again, especially since the sanctuary got a new elephant this year named Osh,” Parker shared.

“It was a great way to connect with neighbors and work together. Moving 130 trees takes a lot of effort, and it created a strong sense of community,” resident Chris Bogle said of last year’s tree donation.

The initiative was founded by Parker after the loss of her partner, an avid elephant lover. She turned her grief into a meaningful tradition by repurposing Christmas trees to support The Elephant Sanctuary, which offers a peaceful haven for elephants retired from zoos and circuses. The elephants enjoy eating and playing with Christmas trees.

Founded in 1995 and situated on 3,060 acres in central Tennessee, roughly equidistant between Memphis and Nashville, The Elephant Sanctuary is the nation’s largest natural-habitat refuge developed specifically for Asian and African elephants. The dozen elephants at the sanctuary can be observed via live-streaming EleCams at www.elephants.com/elecam.