All Cochrane kids want for Christmas is to give back.
Bow Valley High School (BVHS) students got in the holiday spirit last Friday when the Grade 9 students spent the day writing Christmas cards for Cochrane seniors.
“It is amazing – it just fills my heart with love,” said organizer Rita Andrews.
As an “experienced and avid” card maker, Andrews – also BVHS educational assistant – brought the Caring Hearts Card Drive initiative to the high school this year to help teach students about giving back to the community.
“I don’t have a lot of family around us and it can be lonely,” said Olivia Nelson, 14-year-old student.
“It is important that everyone feels like they have someone.”
The Grade 9 class was split into two groups with a morning and afternoon card-writing sessions where the students put heartfelt messages including “I’m thinking of you this special time of year” and “May this season’s warm embrace fill you with love and bring you good health.”
“It is important for kids of this generation to connect with the elderly because they need to have empathy and understanding for where they are in their lives,” said Dorothy Karlson, BVHS teacher.
Some students also opted to write their own personal messages for the cards.
“It is good to show that we still care,” said Brianna Brown, 13-year-old BVHS student.
Last year over 22,000 cards were distributed to over 100 nursing homes in Canada, the United States and Australia – with the initiative also expanding to the UK and Europe this year.
So far this year Andrews has helped by making more than 800 cards for the initiative with the majority of cards from BVHS students to go to Cochrane and surrounding area nursing home residents and additional cards to be put into packages that will be delivered to other Alberta nursing homes.
Andrews said it was a personal goal of hers to make sure “a special Christmas card package was delivered to every province of Canada with one special package to be delivered to Shirley’s Haven in St. Anthony, N.L., in honour of Andrew’s late mother-in-law Violet Andrews who passed away last week.
“The (project) is just cool, awesome and fulfilling,” Andrews said.
For more information on how to help with the project, email Rita at [email protected].
