Service can take many forms; be it tutoring, donating blood or participating in the Stop Hunger Now event, University students have a reputation for service. A local group is providing an opportunity for service this Saturday: delivering Valentine’s Day cards to senior citizens.
The local nonprofit organization A Helping Hand will be delivering Valentine’s Day cards to seniors this Saturday. Many University students and groups will be participating, both through making cards and delivering them to seniors and “home-bound” individuals.
“Valentine’s Day can be a sad time for those who have lost a spouse and are now alone,” Cathy Ahrendsen said. “A Helping Hand’s Valentine Delivery and Serenade is a great way for students to show older adults they are remembered and appreciated.” Ahrendsen is the founder and executive director of A Helping Hand.
According to Shannon Connell, A Helping Hand’s communications specialist, University groups Circle K, Omega Phi Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, and NCSU Food Science Club are among those involved. According to Ahrendsen, Lauren Stubbs, a senior in Nutrition Science, “played a key role in mapping our delivery routes and assisting with sorting the donated cards.”
According to Ahrendsen, cards and roses will be delivered to seniors and disables individuals throughout the community. Clients of A Helping Hand will receive three cards and a rose, and others will receive a single greeting. During delivery, volunteers so gifted may serenade seniors as well. Poetry reading is an option available to those less musically inclined.
As of this printing A Helping Hand has received 4,597 cards and is planning to deliver to 3,647 seniors or disabled persons, according to Ahrendsen, and both numbers are still growing daily.
“If a nursing home has 150 residence, we bring 150 cards,” Ahrendsen said. “We’ve received over a dozen calls today.” Referrals have come from faith groups, nursing homes, and living communities.
There are still openings in this Saturday’s delivery, according to Ahrendsen. Interested parties must sign-up no later than Friday, Feb. 11 at noon by contacting A Helping Hand at (919) 403-5555 or www.ahelpinghandnc.org
