Stitch community members are an impressive lot.
Some have contacted radio stations to raise awareness about Stitch to thousands of listeners. Others have pinned Stitch flyers to notice boards around their local communities. Others have contacted journalists and editors, managing to get Stitch published in their local newspapers.
Like I said, an impressive lot.
Gina from Florida, USA, is one such community member. She recently contacted the prestigious The Parklander Magazine in Florida, wanting to share her experience of Stitch and of making new friends after 50 with its readers. They were interested, loved her story, and published it in September 2021! You can read her article on page 62 of the magazine here.
In her article, Gina shares how she joined Stitch. It was the beginning of the pandemic, and she found herself alone at home. For a social person who was out almost five days a week, being home alone was difficult.
Her situation improved after receiving an email about Stitch. “Then I got the email: A network, Stitch (stitch.net), had formed in Australia, but it was available to members in England, Canada, and the U.S. I was intrigued.”
Gina quickly learned that being part of Stitch meant having access to a global community of members, all over 50, from all walks of life. As she says in her article, “I love the diversity: White, Black, Asian, Latino. Divorced, married, straight, gay. I’ve made friends with people from California and from London.”
“Stitch offers a wonderful opportunity to make new friends, expand knowledge, and share laughter.”
Stitch member Gina
Being part of Stitch also meant having access to a wide selection of activities, interest groups, and online discussions that community members suggest. Speaking specifically about the activities on offer, Gina explains, “Stitch enables its members to interact live with others in varied activities. I did a virtual train ride across America, played word games with people in Sydney, and joined a book club in Coventry, U.K. There are many options – from dance, to fishing, to knitting to vintage radio. Within the sessions are opportunities to form new friendships.”
Joining these activities and making new friendships meant “Stitch offset the isolation felt during the pandemic.”
Gina discovered, however, that Stitch didn’t have a dedicated women’s group. So she set out to create one of her own.
As of October 2021, 185 Stitch members joined Gina’s Stitch group Woman to Woman – Virtual Meeting Group for Women. In creating this group, Gina – who is a counselor with graduate degrees in psychology and counseling – wanted women to have a place to come together, explore women’s issues, learn, and support one another.
Gina didn’t stop there. She then created a second Stitch Group, Writing your Story. Gina teaches Stitch members how to write their unique and interesting life stories as part of this group.
Gina raises an important issue in the article, being that it’s more challenging making and sustaining our social connections the older we get. That’s where Stitch comes in. As Gina says, “Stitch offers a wonderful opportunity to make new friends, expand knowledge, and share laughter. I encourage anyone over 50 to join. During the pandemic it was a gift. It still is.”
Thank you to Stitch member Gina for reaching out to the media and spreading the word and love of Stitch to her local community in Florida!
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