Looking for ways to spread kindness in your classroom this year? Emily Truman, a high school student in Windsor, Ontario, is collecting holiday cards for seniors and could use your help.
“Nearly everyone can find the time to create a card for someone who could use some kindness,” Truman said. “It’s a simple, but powerful gesture that helps us to slow down and reflect on the true meaning of the season.”
Truman has already collected over 3,000 holiday cards for senior citizens that she will deliver to nursing and retirement homes. She’s looking for classrooms to join her initiative to spread kindness by making holiday cards for seniors. The idea came to her last year after volunteering at a local nursing home.
“Many seniors there did not have strong family or friend networks. Either their friends and family lived out of town, and couldn’t visit often, or they had lost many connections as the years passed,” said Truman.
The moment that sparked a movement
She began delivering handmade birthday cards to residents in the nursing home. Truman described one particular experience delivering a card to a nursing home resident, “She had tears in her eyes,” Truman said.
“She was so happy that someone had remembered her special day. She still has the card displayed in her room.”
After seeing the magic that a simple, thoughtful handmade card can bring, Truman says she wanted to get other students and community members involved.
Truman created Holiday HappyMail card drop-off boxes, which are located at locations like schools, libraries, and coffee shops throughout Ontario.
Her goal is to get as many people as possible involved in spreading kindness to seniors with handmade cards.
“Handmade holiday cards can be mailed in at any time—if they do not get here by this Christmas, there’s always next year!” said Truman.
How your classroom can help send holiday cards to seniors
Interested in getting your classroom involved? Learn more here about Truman’s Holiday HappyMail initiative and how your students can make holiday cards for seniors.
Cards can be shipped to the address below.
Stay Gold Society
P.O. Box 21015
Manning Road Post Office
Windsor, ON
N8N 4S1
Canada
Looking for more ideas about how to spread kindness in your school? Check out these free “take one” posters, these bucket-filler activities, and this list of picture books about kindness.
Plus, come and share more ways to spread holiday cheer in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.
