Looking for willing hands
Jack and clients take a shining to Community Support Connections
KITCHENER — A year ago, Rick and Alice Herdman sought some serious help clearing snow from their driveway in the winter, and trimming their Lackner Woods neighbourhood lawn in the summer.
The essentially-retired grandparents of three, needed a reliable handyperson to keep up their home so they could keep on living independently.
More than a few good men or women — could surely play the part. But where to find them? The Herdmans turned to Community Support Connections — Meals on Wheels and More to act as their casting agency to find their “Snow Buddy” from the local charity’s list of community volunteers available for Kitchener and Cambridge duty.
The Herdmans got matched up with some fellow named Jack Nicholson.
Naturally, they took a shining to him.
“He is awesome,” Alice said. “We work well together. It’s been a good fit.”
OK, he’s not the Hollywood Jack, the 80-year-old actor you know from the movies.
He’s Kitchener Jack, the 61year-old handyman who is retired from a career with the Ministry of Correctional Services.
Since last December, Nicholson has worked for the Herdmans when called upon, shovelling the drive or fixing doors or yanking out some ironweeds.
He makes $15 an hour. They’re happy to pay him as a brokered worker. He’s happy to help them out, especially with Rick recovering from a spinal cord injury that has the former landscaper using a cane, walker or wheelchair to get around.
When snow falls, Jack shows up with his shovel before the postman can ring twice.
“It keeps me busy,” said Nicholson, whose first name is officially John but has been called Jack since he could crawl. “When retirement started, I wasn’t ready to sort of sit and put the feet up.”
So, Nicholson is on-call working for the Herdmans and a couple other clients he’s been matched up with through Community Support Connections (519-772-8787).
In Kitchener, about 120 clients are on a waiting list with CSC to get a snow buddy. In Cambridge, 50 clients are waiting for their Jack of all trades. Waterloo Home Support Services (519-579-6930) has five clients waiting for a similar service in Waterloo.
“You meet some really interesting people,” Nicholson said. “People who have a need.”
And helping those people out is as good it gets, right?
“He’s just amazing,” said Alice, describing Jack in terms of endearment.
“I wish there were more people like him.”