Spreading Joy and Kindness: Our Holiday Card-Writing Campaign

While we are a little late in sending this news post, we didn’t want to miss sharing some of the warm and joyful feelings of the Alliance’s sixth annual holiday card-writing campaign!  Hundreds of dedicated volunteers came together to craft heartfelt cards, filling each one with messages of joy, hope, and love.

One of our card-writing volunteers, Jen, captured the spirit of the campaign perfectly when she shared that, “this is a lovely initiative to build community and combat loneliness,” while another elf shared that she was “so grateful to be part of this beautiful moment of giving.”

Delivering 1,900 Messages of Cheer

Thanks to the generosity of our volunteers, the Alliance delivered 1,900 holiday cards to nine assisted living centers throughout the Seacoast. Over 600 residents received these colorful cards, more than 360 with personalized messages, all of them brimming with holiday well-wishes and heartfelt messages. Along with the cards, residents were treated to delicious cookies thanks to a generous donation this year from one of our card-writing elves.

Participating facilities included Bellamy Assisted Living, Benchmark at Rye, Edgewood Centre, Langdon Place, Residence at Silver Square, St. Ann Nursing Center, Watson Assisted Living, Webster at Rye, and Wentworth Senior Living.  Most facilities provided a list of residents’ first names and a fun fact about each resident. This thoughtful touch enabled our "card-writing elves" to personalize their messages, making each card even more meaningful.

 A Heartfelt Thank You from the Residents

The impact of these cards and treats was clear. As Susan Nixon, Enrichment Coordinator at Bellamy Assisted Living shared, “The residents truly enjoy the cards and are so appreciative of receiving them. Many of our residents can no longer send out their own cards but do remember receiving them and this is such a happy memory for them. The joy you give them is such a treat!”

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Community Support and Involvement

A big thank you to the Portsmouth Historical Society for once again organizing a card-making station at their annual Gingerbread House Exhibition where visitors could create beautiful holiday cards to add even more joy to our campaign. The Alliance learned a lot about making gingerbread houses, and for the first time, made an Alliance gingerbread house for the exhibition.

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A Season of Gratitude

The Alliance team is deeply grateful to everyone who helped make this year’s card-writing campaign such a success. It wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support of our community, including the assisted living facility contacts, local businesses, nonprofits, teachers and their students, individual and family card writing elves, and volunteers who helped sort and deliver the 1,900 cards.  So many people came together to brighten the holidays for those who needed it most.

Here's to continuing to make a difference, one card at a time!

For more information or to share ideas for future events, email the Alliance for Greater Good at alliance.greatergood@gmail.com, visit its website and follow it on Facebook.