Jon Johnson Photo/Gila Herald: Greg St. Hilaire has started a new program called Desires Fulfilled, which benefits residents in nursing homes.
By Jon Johnson
GILA VALLEY – Greg St. Hilaire, director of Caring, Helping and Providing (CHAP) Ministries, has long been a person who gives to the community. On top of his work with CHAP Ministries, which opened the Gila Valley’s first and only homeless shelter in 2006, St. Hilaire, along with his wife, Carol, has overseen the annual Toys for Tots program since 2006. However, an encounter at a nursing home in Minnesota this past April while visiting Carol’s mother struck him so profoundly that he handed off the Toys for Tots duties this year to concentrate on helping another group in society, seniors in nursing homes.
“A very important man once told me, ‘When you see a need, fulfill it,’ so, we saw the need and we started talking to the people there and getting to know them,” Greg said.
After a few visits of asking the residents of the nursing home what he could do to bless them, one of the ladies said she was saddened because she could no longer wear her mother’s ring. Greg suggested the woman allow him to make her a heart pendant instead with the ring and place her and her children’s birthstones in it, all held on a chain with a magnetic clasp so it would be easy for her to put on and take off.
After the woman showed what Greg had done for her, the requests began flowing in and Greg found himself involved in a new chapter in his life.
His new program is called Desires Fulfilled and Greg describes it as being like the Make-a-Wish program but for seniors in nursing homes.
After his success in Minnesota, he came back to the Gila Valley and began instituting it at the local nursing homes here. The program hands out questionnaires to see what the residents would like to receive. So far, most of the requests have been food items, like a chocolate treat or a brand-name soda, or to go out to a local restaurant.
Greg hands out the desires every other month at three local nursing homes, with sundry items paid for by CHAP Ministries and other items donated by the community. He said he currently has more than 100 gift certificates to local restaurants who have generously donated to the program.
While the desires are fulfilled every other month, during the off months Greg plans on visiting the nursing homes to play games with the residents with prizes, such as a gift certificate to a local restaurant. Some of the games have prizes for the winners but others are in the vein of “Let’s Make a Deal” in which a resident chooses one of two bags and then can keep the gift or exchange it for what is in the other bag or what is behind Greg’s back.
“Everybody gets two gifts,” Greg said. “I plan to play games with them every other month and to bring specific requests every other month.”
Greg said his new program brings him even more joy than he received doing the Toys for Tots program and that he plans to expand it to other cities with Tucson next on the list. While he left Minnesota, he made sure the program continued under the leadership of local pastors and he now wants to spread it throughout Arizona.
“The biggest thing is, most of the time, as soon as they see us they smile,” Greg said. “I don’t know if you know this, but most of the folks in these homes aren’t typically smiling. It’s not a natural thing for them to smile anymore it seems like. You have to do something to get them to smile. That’s what I do. That’s what makes it all worthwhile.”
If anyone or a business would like to donate your time, talents, money, or products to the program, call Greg St. Hilaire at 928-792-3100.
