One thousand residents in rehabilitation and long-term care communities, throughout Tampa Bay, received the joy of a handmade holiday card with a personal message of cheer thanks to the combined generosity of volunteers. Disabled artisans with ServiceSource made cards to honor Veterans, and high school students in the National Honor Society at Sickles High School and the “Speak Up” club at Plant High School created colorful holiday cards. The cards made with love were delivered throughout December 2021.
When someone lives in a rehabilitation or long-term care community, the chance of going home for the holidays is remote. Their holiday is dependent on friends and family visiting, and if their family is out of town, that celebration is limited to Zoom. Unfortunately for those without family, there may be no celebration. This handmade card can help brighten what could have been a dreary day.
Many of the Veteran’s cards created by ServiceSource were delivered to Baldomero Lopez Veteran’s Nursing home. Due to CDC restrictions, we weren’t allowed to visit with the residents, but we know the cards were well received because of the wonderful thank you sent to us from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. Because of the abundance of cards created for Veterans, the additional supply was delivered to assisted living communities and given to residents who bravely served our country.
CDC guidelines also prohibited us from handing out the cards in person at rehabilitation and long-term care communities, but the caring staff at each site was eager to distribute them to help cheer up the residents.
Seniors in Service is fortunate to have community partners to help us fulfill our mission in combatting loneliness and isolation.
United Way Suncoast Volunteers provided “Letters with Love” to Brighten the Day for Our Volunteers
Every volunteer who attended our Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon received a thoughtful hand-written letter from the United Way-Suncoast volunteers. They provided over 400 letters that showed our volunteers how grateful the community is for their dedication to service.
