November 10, 2025
November 9–15 is Social Connection Awareness Week in Wisconsin, declared by Governor Tony Evers to highlight how connection is to vital our health and well-being.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly one in three adults in the United States report feeling lonely. While anyone can experience loneliness, older adults and individuals with disabilities are particularly at risk. The CDC also reports that loneliness and social isolation can increase the risk of serious health issues — including depression, cognitive decline, heart disease, stroke, dementia, and premature death.
Here in Wisconsin, the Department of Health Services (DHS) has found that “Wisconsin communities both need and desire improved social connections.” The Governor’s official Social Connection Awareness Week Proclamation reinforces that message, noting that “Wisconsinites have expressed a desire for their communities to be more socially connected.”
ADVOCAP’s Volunteer Services and Senior Nutrition programs help make that connection possible — fostering friendship, reducing isolation, and helping older adults stay independent, connected, and thriving.
At ADVOCAP, our mission is to empower people and create opportunities that promote self-sufficiency and improve quality of life. For older adults, that often starts with connection — the friendships, conversations, and shared moments that help people feel valued and supported.
Senior Friends
Our Senior Friends volunteers visit or call older adults who live alone or feel isolated. These friendly check-ins often grow into genuine, lasting friendships that brighten both participants’ and volunteers’ lives.
“You couldn’t have picked a better person for me to visit,” one volunteer shared. “We share stories, and at our ages, we both have many to share. She is so insightful and positive. She’s a joy to visit.”
Another volunteer reflected: “It has been so rewarding to be involved in the Senior Friend Program. To know you’ve made a difference in someone’s life just by spending time together and leaving them with a smile and a bit of happiness.”
The program is simple but meaningful, showing how regular connection can make a real difference.
Transportation Services
Social connection also happens on the road. Through ADVOCAP’s Transportation Program, volunteers help senior and disabled individuals attend appointments, run essential errands, and stay active in their communities. Along the way, friendships form.
“All the people that I transport, I consider friends,” said one volunteer. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. I think this is the best thing that keeps me coming back.”
Transportation is more than a ride from A to B; each ride helps strengthen connections.
Senior Nutrition: Home Delivered Meals
For those who are homebound, connection can come right to the door. ADVOCAP’s Home-Delivered Meals ensure homebound seniors and some individuals with disabilities in Winnebago County receive nutrition meals — but it also provides something equally important: human contact.
For over 40% of participants, the driver is the only person they see on a regular basis. And 85% say the program improves their quality of life.
Every knock on the door is more than a delivery — it’s a friendly face, a quick chat, and a reminder that someone cares.
Senior Nutrition: Congregate Meals
Social connection is also at the heart of ADVOCAP’s Congregate Meals, which serves senior participants and some individuals with disabilities with appetizing, nutritious noon-time meals five days a week at 11 meal sites throughout Winnebago County. This program promotes health, reduces food insecurity, and helps seniors remain independent.
Just as importantly, it brings people together. The cafeteria setting creates opportunities for social interaction and helps combat isolation — and participants say that’s what matters most. In our participant survey, 56% of respondents said the number one reason they attend the dining center is to spend time with others.
Social Connection Awareness Week
This Social Connection Awareness Week, ADVOCAP celebrates the volunteers, staff, and participants who make our communities stronger through connection. Whether it’s a visit, a meal, or a ride, these moments of friendship and compassion help seniors stay independent, connected, and living with dignity.
If you or someone you know would like to get involved — as a volunteer or participant — learn more about our Senior Friends Program, Transportation Programs, and other volunteer opportunities here.
If you or someone you know in Winnebago County is in need of nutritious meals, learn more about our Senior Nutrition Program here.
Together, we can create a Wisconsin where everyone feels seen, supported, and valued, one connection at a time.
Sources:
Office of the Governor, State of Wisconsin. Social Connection Awareness Week Proclamation (2025): https://evers.wi.gov/Documents/110925_Proclamation_Social%20Connection%20Awareness%20Week.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Health Effects of Social Isolation and Loneliness (2024): https://www.cdc.gov/social-connectedness/risk-factors/index.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Loneliness, Lack of Social and Emotional Support, and Mental Health Issues — United States, 2022 (MMWR, June 2024): https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7324a1.htm
Wisconsin Department of Health Services. State of Social Connectedness in Wisconsin Report (2024): https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/mch/mch-social-connections-report.pdf
ADVOCAP. Winnebago County Home Delivered Meal Survey (2024): Internal database.
ADVOCAP. Winnebago County Senior Dining Survey (2024): Internal database.
