West Vancouver students launch program to connect youth with seniors
Four Mulgrave School students created CareQuest, a program that matches youth volunteers with seniors to reduce social isolation, and have made 10 matches since November 2025.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on castanet.net.
Four Mulgrave School students in West Vancouver have created a program that pairs youth volunteers with older residents to reduce social isolation among seniors. North Shore News reported on 27 October 2026 that the program, called CareQuest, has made 10 matches since it launched in November 2025.
The students, Alex Jin, Lucas Lin, Jeffrey Ren and Ben Ghandchi, built CareQuest as part of a project for the Young Entrepreneurship and Leadership Launchpad (YELL) program, a course that teaches entrepreneurship. They were all in Grade 12 at Mulgrave School when they started.
The program works by matching participants based on shared interests. Students and seniors each submit a request on the CareQuest website, listing their hobbies. The team then makes a match, interviews the volunteer, and introduces the two. From there they meet once or twice a week by phone, video call or in person.
Jin told the North Shore News that the idea came partly from watching seniors at the West Vancouver Seniors' Activity Centre eating alone, and partly from seeing the difference a short phone call could make to his own grandmother after his grandfather died.
One match that started through CareQuest connected Grade 11 student Vanessa Grdina with 91-year-old West Van resident Kathy McKenzie. The two have spoken once or twice a week for close to a year, the North Shore News reported. They bonded over a shared interest in healthcare: McKenzie was a nurse, and Grdina plans to study dentistry. McKenzie said the connection brightens her life and that she looks forward to Grdina's visits. Grdina told the North Shore News that the conversations have made her more excited about university and about following a path in the medical field.
The students said they are looking to expand the program to other sites in West Vancouver, including the Inglewood Care Centre, and eventually to Vancouver.
West Vancouver residents who want to volunteer or be matched as a senior can find more information and sign up at carequest.info.
Questions this story answers
What is CareQuest?
CareQuest is a program created by four Grade 12 students at Mulgrave School in West Vancouver. It matches youth volunteers with seniors based on shared interests, so the two can meet by phone, video call or in person once or twice a week. The program has been running since November 2025 and has made 10 matches, according to the North Shore News report published on 27 October 2026.
Who started the CareQuest program?
The program was created by Grade 12 Mulgrave School students Alex Jin, Lucas Lin, Jeffrey Ren and Ben Ghandchi as part of a project for the Young Entrepreneurship and Leadership Launchpad (YELL) program, according to the Castanet report from 27 October 2026.
How does CareQuest match youth with seniors?
Students and seniors each make a request on the CareQuest website, sharing their hobbies and interests. The team then makes a match and interviews the volunteer to check suitability. After that, an introduction is made and the two begin building a friendship through regular phone, video or in-person meetings, as reported by the North Shore News on 27 October 2026.
How long has CareQuest been running?
The four Mulgrave School students have been running CareQuest since November 2025, according to the North Shore News report from 27 October 2026. In that time they have made 10 matches between youth volunteers and seniors in West Vancouver.
Can anyone join CareQuest?
Yes. While the program focuses on youth volunteers, the students said that anyone can join, according to the Castanet report. Residents who want to volunteer or seniors who want to be matched can find more information and sign up at carequest.info.
What inspired the CareQuest program?
Student Alex Jin told the North Shore News that he noticed many seniors at the West Vancouver Seniors' Activity Centre were eating alone, not because they could not make friends, but because they had outlived their friends. That observation, combined with a personal experience helping his own grandmother, led him to bring the idea to the YELL program and work with three classmates to build CareQuest.
Where are the students planning to expand CareQuest?
The students told the North Shore News they are looking to expand the program to other locations, including West Vancouver's Inglewood Care Centre and eventually Vancouver. The program currently serves West Vancouver seniors.
How is this connected to West Vancouver's broader community?
The program connects West Vancouver students at Mulgrave School with West Vancouver seniors, including those who visit the West Vancouver Seniors' Activity Centre. The Castanet report from 27 October 2026 quotes a 91-year-old West Van resident who said the connection brightens her life and that she lives alone and does not socialize much at home.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- Castanet / North Shore News report, 27 October 2026castanet.net
- CareQuest program websitecarequest.info
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