Papa is all about meeting people where they are and providing what they need most at that moment. We work with employers nationwide to serve as another set of hands and a listening ear for employees during life’s challenging moments. Not all employees use the benefit regularly, but when they need a little extra help, we’re there for them.
Papa employees also receive this valuable benefit—we call it “Papa for Papa”—and it can be used in many ways.
Meet Debbie
Debbie, a Member Engagement Specialist in her 60s, used Papa for Papa when she needed support during a significant life event—several life events, in fact. “I’ve been through so much in my life,” Debbie says, “and I’ve been through it alone. With Papa, I don’t have to go through it alone. I don’t know if I would be here without them.”
Debbie is a widow and cancer survivor with a passion for helping others. She ran a call center earlier in life and, more recently, led quality assurance and customer service teams. When her company decided to outsource its call center operations during COVID, Debbie thought she’d retire—until she saw an ad for Papa and applied to be a Papa Pal. After several virtual visits with members, she transitioned to working on Papa’s enrollment team and hasn’t looked back. She recently celebrated her third Papaversary.
Not long after starting her full-time role at Papa, Debbie’s life was turned upside down. She ended a toxic relationship and lost everything. She moved to rural Michigan, feeling isolated and anxious.
Then Debbie’s daughter passed away suddenly—she was found in her car after three days—and Debbie had to go to Colorado to identify her body and say goodbye. She brought her daughter’s dog back with her to Michigan, where she was alone, distraught, and overwhelmed with grief. Papa was there for her.
Debbie’s Papa Pal brings comfort in her time of need
Right before her daughter passed, Debbie’s neighbor Tricia applied to be a Papa Pal. When Debbie returned from Colorado and needed a Papa Pal herself, Tricia stepped in. Debbie says Tricia came over and took care of the house, the dogs, and Debbie herself.
The two had an instant connection. Debbie felt comfortable sharing about her life and struggles with Tricia. “I don’t know what it is about you,” Debbie told her, “but I just feel so connected to you.”
Tricia considers herself an empath. She knows when Debbie needs someone or when it’s better to give her space. “Her attitude will change within minutes of me being there,” Tricia says. “She’ll start laughing and having fun.”
Tricia knows the holidays can be hard, especially after experiencing a loss and without family nearby. As a Christmas gift, she painted a sign for Debbie that says: “Family isn’t always made by blood.” The kind gesture made Debbie cry.
Tricia spent New Year’s Eve with Debbie as well, sharing an angel food cake she baked. Debbie sat on the floor with her head on the couch while Tricia read her stories. “That was about the best thing I've ever had to take this weight off. These Pals are magical.” Debbie said that was the night she realized “what Papa was all about.”
“My purpose for being in this world is to help uplift others and help them reach new potential," says Tricia. "That’s my passion. So just being there for Debbie and helping make her life a little easier is spiritually uplifting for me.”
Debbie experiences more loss and develops agoraphobia, finding herself in need of support and strength once more
Unfortunately for Debbie, the hard times kept coming. In 2023, she lost both her brother and mother figure. She was overcome with grief and anxiety and couldn’t take care of her home, couldn’t walk to get the mail, and could barely get out of bed. She didn’t leave the house for 14 months and often felt like she couldn’t breathe.
She called Papa again, and that’s how she met her current Papa Pal, Jennifer. “It was like an angel coming through the door,” Debbie says. “She was everything I needed.”
They spent their first visit doing lawn work and gardening. “I had lost all my passion for my yard,” Debbie says. “It was a disaster. But Jennifer said, ‘Don’t worry, I got you.’” Getting fresh air and putting her hands in the dirt were small steps on Debbie’s path to healing.
On a later visit, Jennifer brought some delicious soup from a nearby Polish restaurant and gently suggested their first outing could be to the restaurant. Debbie agreed.
The next thing they did was go to a small store and look around. Later, they ventured to superstore Meijer, where Debbie described herself as a fish out of water. Jennifer encouraged Debbie to take it slowly and after, told her, “I can see your anxiety. I can see you struggled, but I’m so proud of you.”
Debbie says Jennifer is a “miracle” because “I would’ve never left this house without her.”
They’ve also spent a New Year’s Eve together and Jennifer even dropped off flowers on Thanksgiving, a small gesture to remind Debbie she’s not alone.
Papa Pal Jennifer shares her perspective
Jennifer, 45, was recovering from cancer when she first started with Papa. “I needed something flexible so that when I was having bad days, I wouldn’t get fired,” she says. “I find it very rewarding—helping people when they were at a lonely point or enduring hardships and me making that better. It is very fulfilling for me.”
When she visits Debbie, Jennifer is very intentional about letting her guide their time together. She knows that in addition to the losses Debbie experienced, she had also been in a controlling relationship and needed time to feel safe and heal.
On their trip to Meijer, Jennifer says, “I let her stop and look at things, touch, smell, whatever, to experience the world around her in a safe way without making her frazzled or thinking she was doing something wrong or not being quick enough. I think that really helped her a lot.”
Jennifer suggests simple outings she thinks Debbie will enjoy—lunch or going to the nursery to look at flowers and touch the trees. She wants Debbie to “feel like she’s in touch with the world again. She can’t see very well, so I’m her set of eyes when we go out,” she says. “I bring a sense of calm to her life.”
With a background in customer service, Jennifer has learned how to read people and focus on their strengths. She leans on those skills as a Papa Pal, especially when her members need help getting out of a slump. “It’s about meeting them where they are,” she says, “and understanding that they’re that way for a reason and not judging them or making them feel like they’re not worth the effort.”
“It’s all about the baby steps,” Jennifer says. “Then, when they turn back and look, they’ve already climbed five or six hurdles, and that gives them momentum to keep going—even when you’re not there. I feel so proud of my members.”
Debbie finds light amid the darkness
As a Papa employee who spends her days on the phone with Papa members, Debbie’s life experiences give her incredible insight and empathy into their struggles. “Working for Papa gets my head out of whatever I’m going through,” she says. “When I talk to my members, it’s like the world goes away and I feel what they feel. I’m able to get into that dark corner where they’re at and tell them I understand.”
On the flip side, she feels so special as a Papa employee to be given the gift of a Papa Pal when she needs one most. “Without Papa, I would not survive this,” Debbie says. “Papa saved my life.” In this beautiful, full-circle way, having that physical and emotional support also helps Debbie do her job better.
Tricia says Debbie is a huge advocate for Papa and spreads the word in any way she can. “It’s not just a job to her; it’s a mission.”
“I want the world to know this wonderful gift exists,” Debbie says. “We can at times feel loneliness, isolation, hopelessness. Papa makes us feel heard and validated. With Papa, we have wings to fly and live our dreams and do things we love no matter what age or physical ability. I see Papa miracles every day.”
Here at Papa, we see those miracles every day, too. We look forward to so many more of them in the year ahead.
