Kids Corner: Students made 415 cards for a Valentine’s drive. Here’s where they went

This Hugh McMillan’s Kids Corner was done by Payton Danosky, with technical support by Curt Scott.

A community card drive organized by Lifting Hearts with the Arts Washington (LHA-WA) brought together elementary school students, high school students, and senior citizens. Voyager Elementary students donated 180 cards. Local high school students — including Gig Harbor High School, Peninsula High School, Silas High School, and Mt. Tahoma High School — contributed cards as well for a grand total of 415 valentines. These valentines were donated to six local care facilities to bring smiles to the residents, including those at Gig Harbor Court.

Voyager Elementary School students shared the following comments:

Sydney, a fourth grader in Mrs. Schwab’s class, said: “I wanted to write a card because I know Valentine’s Day is a very special day. I wanted to write a note so they don’t feel lonely and I love being creative.”

Charlotte, a fifth grader in Mrs. Dye’s class, said: “I like crafting. It’s something nice to do for others and it’s fun. It’s something fun and good.”

Emily, a fifth grader in Mrs. Taylor’s class, said: “It’s relaxing and fun. I think seniors would be happy and love to get the cards.”

Mabel, a fourth grader in Mrs. Schwab’s class, said: “I’m doing it because my grandpa is in the nursing home. His wife died and he gets really lonely. I’m doing this to bring some happiness to him.”

Ava, a fifth grader in Mrs. Booth’s class, said: “I want to do this to make them smile. If they have nobody to visit, they probably like getting these.”

Reagan, a fifth grader in Mrs. Johnson’s class, said: “I’m doing this because my grandpa died. My grandma is very sad. Whenever I make her a card, it makes her smile.”

Kennedy, a fifth grader in Mrs. Johnson’s class, said: “I am helping to make people smile.”

Maya, a fifth grader in Mrs. Booth’s class, said: “I want to make people happy. My great aunt used to live in a nursing home. There was a person across the hall from her and she used to wave at us because she didn’t have any family. We made her cards and it made her really happy.”

High school students offered the following comments:

Payton Danosky, the president of LHA-WA and a senior at Gig Harbor High School, said: “I made 80 cards for the Valentine’s card drive and it felt good knowing I was doing something to make someone else happy. When planning the card drive, I was overwhelmed with the number of cards and the thoughtfulness of the sentiments written in the cards we received. I am proud that I was able to influence so many people to think of others this holiday. My favorite part of this experience was delivering the cards and seeing the smiling positive impact we had.”

Sophie Krueger, a senior at Peninsula High School, said: “With recent COVID flares our organization has been trying to put together a safe group activity and I’m so glad we were able to celebrate Valentine’s Day with the seniors at Gig Harbor Court. We did fun festive themed crafts and had treats and drinks, which I know both the seniors and volunteers enjoyed. These parties are a great way to get to know new residents at Gig Harbor Court and an opportunity for LHA members to get to know each other better as well. I always love going to these activities because I can catch up in person with Betty, a resident at the facility who I have weekly phone calls with. This time I even got to meet some other members of her family, which was a very nice surprise. I know the seniors look forward to these group activities and I am excited to attend more in the future.”

Ellah Sundell, a junior at Gig Harbor High School, said: “I am so glad to be a part of Lifting Hearts with the Arts. LHA is a wonderful way to connect with the older generations in a fun and creative way. It’s a great opportunity to get to know them, and for them to get to know you. My favorite part about the LHA party is talking and listening to the seniors. I love listening to stories from their past, learning about their families, and hearing about their life experiences.”

Jacqueline Flynn, the volunteer coordinator of LHA and a senior at Gig Harbor High School, said: “This is one of several holiday parties I have been working on with LHA and one of my favorites. Coordinating with the elementary school students and making Valentine’s Day cards has been such a fun experience for me. Being a part of a community and bringing several age groups together has embarked such a rewarding feeling because of the impacts I can see it has made on our senior friends and younger students. I also crocheted ten heart coasters for the seniors this Valentine’s Day, which I loved doing because it combined both my passion and hobbies into one. Crocheting has led me to build strong friendships that will last through my life and I am so fortunate to have.”

Skylar Anderson, a freshman at Gig Harbor High School, said: “It’s such an amazing experience being able to be with two different generations coming together through the creativity of making crafts.”

Polina Dorogova, a junior at Gig Harbor High School, said: “I loved connecting with Hugh McMillan over the Russian language. It is wonderful to hear all the different stories of seniors, who have so much life experience.”

Lola Hawkins, a sophomore at Gig Harbor High School, said, “This Valentine’s Day I made cards to donate to seniors on Valentine’s Day. I decided to do this because I wanted to spread love this time of year to the people who need it the most. It makes me feel good to help out and I’m so grateful to Lifting Hearts with the Arts who gave me the opportunity to do so.”

Gig Harbor Court resident Shirley added: “I love when you have parties here and we get together and do arts and crafts and just talk with young people. It is a lot of fun and I enjoy it. Bless every one of you because you are precious. You give us old people an uplift. Some of us don’t have family and friends close by, but you coming is like family.”

Gig Harbor Court resident Susan said: “It is wonderful that you guys come spend time with us. It gives us a time of new experiences and it is always nice to be around young people. We enjoy the crafts and just having you here.”

Gig Harbor Court resident Cindy said: “When my mom passed away, Haleigh (my LHA friend) gave me a bouquet of flowers. I like having LHA-WA because they are really caring.”

Gig Harbor Court resident Betty said: “It’s wonderful to see these kids. It brings back memories of teaching at the high school and of being back in our old high school days. They bring a breath of fresh air into our home away from home. We are all hoping we can do it again sometime. They come to the senior living facility and bring crafts and refreshments. I thank them for coming.”

“My heartfelt thanks to Payton and Curt for making Kids Corner continue to live,” said Hugh McMillan. “The party was a wonderful example of our youth sharing their lives and future.”