Why I Built Amintro
The inspiration for Amintro was my mom, Marge, who was widowed in 2001 at the age of 56. Although she continued to lead an independent and active life, like many others, she was plagued with loneliness resulting from a life spent focused on family and work, which left little time for socializing and nurturing friendships.
Marge is a vibrant, worldly woman with wonderful stories, incredible life experiences and brilliant advice to share, and yet most evenings were spent watching the latest news reports on CNN with her cherished furry companion, a miniature pinscher named Zorra. To me, this was a travesty because she is amazing and her “fabulousness” wasn’t being shared with others.
So, I asked myself: “Why is such a wonderful person lonely?” and “Is it just her or are there others who feel the same way?” That led me on a quest for answers and the realization that loneliness and social isolation are an epidemic affecting millions of North Americans and that they are major contributing factors to the mortality rate of older adults.
I also realized that while there are many online ways to meet a romantic partner, there were very few options for those looking for platonic friendship. I saw the need to get back to basics and give older adults a safe, easy way to find friends and connect on that level, without the complications of being chased by potential suitors.
It was from this research and my desire to see my Mom be less lonely that, in 2012, the vision for Amintro was conceived. For those who may be wondering what the word Amintro means, allow me to explain how it came about.
My educational background is in the romance languages or Latin-based languages such as Spanish, Italian and French. The prefix “ami” appears in most words that pertain to friends, friendship, chums and pals such as the Spanish ‘amigo’, the Italian ‘amici’, and the French ‘ami’.
Being that the sole objective of Amintro is to introduce people for the purposes of creating friendships, we combined the prefix “ami” and the shortened form of the word ‘introduction’ (intro) to create Amintro.
Marge was the first person to become an Amintronian, the term we fondly use to describe members of Amintro. We hope you will join her and start making friends and living life today.
Charlene Nadalin
Founder
