SAM’S MISSION
In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck Christchurch in 2010, Sam Johnson mobilised an army of student volunteers (SVA) to muck in and help the community get back on its feet.
Earlier this year, Sam and Dr Tyler Brummer launched a companionship service aimed at tackling rising social isolation among the elderly. Inspired by the success of the SVA, as well as their personal experience of missing out on quality time with their own parents, WeVisit matched older “home alone” Kiwis with young student visitors.
When the Weekly spoke to Sam (28) in February, WeVisit was in its infancy, but Sam, who was named 2012’s Young New Zealander of the Year, had high hopes the idea would catch on.
“There’s a huge need for something like this,” he said, noting almost half of older New Zealanders describe themselves as being lonely. “We don’t really connect with our neighbours the way we used to.”
The venture was funded using money Sam and Tyler had planned to spend on a first home. They have since bought a property, a former Black Power gang house in Linwood.
WeVisit has also joined forces with MyCare, the country’s largest home-care platform, with Sam now MyCare’s Head of Community Innovation.
“The clincher for me was a comment from the CEO Mark Jefferies, who said, ‘Why don’t you just use our technology to make some of these ideas about social connection go faster?’ We jumped at the opportunity,” tells Sam, adding they now have more than 10,000 people engaged and connecting communities around the country. “We’re creating some wonderful projects, which we will launch next year.”
On a more personal note, Sam’s dad John passed away not long after our story appeared, spurring Sam to fully embrace working in the health and community sectors. And Sally Jebson (84), who appeared in our article, has renewed her relationship with an estranged sister.
“Something about being profiled in the
Weekly did magic to bring them back together,” he says.