The next time you’re in the grocery store, keep an eye out for a kind, energetic young woman talking about Trellis in the produce section. Haddy Ademola has a big heart and a commitment to improving the health and well-being of older Minnesotans.
“I just start talking to people in stores,” she says. It usually begins with a compliment on a pretty sweater or cute shoes, followed by the question, ‘Have you heard about the Senior LinkAge Line?’ I speak to people of all cultural backgrounds and so many people don’t know how to seek help. I tell them the Senior LinkAge Line® can answer all their questions about Medicare and other concerns, and I give them a Senior LinkAge Line card. Sometimes I give them a pen too. People say, ‘Thank you for reaching out. I have so many questions,’ and it makes me happy to help them.”
Volunteer and student
Haddy found Trellis through a Google search for a volunteer position helping older adults. She is working on a degree in social work at Winona State University with a specialty in geriatrics and has an innate desire to help people. “I wanted to help others because so many people helped me when I came to Minnesota from Nigeria,” she says. “I came across Trellis in my search and couldn’t believe all the support they provide to seniors. And now, I’m one of their volunteer ambassadors.”
Six years ago, Haddy arrived in Minnesota with her mother and three siblings to join her father who had immigrated several years earlier. She says she is very happy to be here. “We don’t have the opportunities in Nigeria that I have here, and people here are always willing to help and listen. This really feels like home.” Haddy’s goals are clear: graduate from Winona State in 2023 with a degree in social work and move right on to a master’s degree. She will be the first in her family to graduate from college.
Spreading the word about Trellis
Working as an administrative assistant in a mental health clinic provides income for Haddy and opens doors to reaching people who need the services Trellis provides. Haddy says, “I told my manager I’m volunteering at Trellis. She let me put Senior LinkAge Line materials in the support room for colleagues, so they can bring them to people if they wish to. One therapist sent someone directly to me for information and I was excited to give it to her!”
With a big heart for helping people, Haddy says she loves to share light and positivity with people and encourage others to do the same. “I’m giving back for what people have done for me. When I become a social worker, helping people will be my obligation, but it will always make me happy.”
Haddy wants people to know that the staff at Trellis is amazing. “If I send an email, someone responds in a second! There is a sense of togetherness. I have a voice and I feel valued. I love that feeling.”
The Senior LinkAge Line® is a free, statewide service of the Minnesota Board on Aging in partnership with Trellis and the other Minnesota area agencies on aging.
