Elkhart's Sara Lawson delivers smiles with her greeting cards
Getting a greeting card still makes people generally happy. Sure, there is email and texts to send a note. Electronic messages are so warm and fuzzy. Oh, not really. A real card is special.
Sara Lawson, of Elkhart, could not agree more. She is a card sender. She is one of the volunteers with a non-profit known as Bring Smiles to Seniors. She loves it all. “I’ve been crafting cards as a hobby for years and sending them to friends. I was in Florida and a friend was involved in it (Smiles).”
The friend asked her to write messages in a few cards. Sara was enthused about the prospect of helping others with a few cards. She signed on to sign more.
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Sara and many others have been sending messages. In 2021, 300,000 cards were sent by volunteers to all 50 states. The cards go to nursing facilities and Meals on Wheels for delivery.
Then, there was more to come. Lola’s Smile Bunch grew from the original group. Volunteers with Lola’s send cards to individuals living at home who need a pick-me-up, a smile or a chuckle.
Hey, Sara. Why would you want to get involved? “I believe in volunteering. This is a good way to help,” Sara said.
Sara is involved in both Bring Smiles and Lola’s Smile. That’s a lot of cards. “I don’t think of the expense or the time. Everyone with the Lola group gets a page of names each month.” Each name is approved by a family member before cards are sent. “I sent birthday, veterans’ cards, thinking of you.” She estimated that she sends more than 70 cards a month.
The Bring Smiles to Seniors was founded in 2016 by Ron Tyson, of Florida. He said in a phone interview that all this was because of his grandmother, Lola Mae. She was in a nursing home. “I noticed that many elderly residents did not get any visitors or have anything on their walls.” The isolation was difficult to forget.
Ron thought a card would do the trick. How about a lot of cards?
He posted the idea on Facebook and was overwhelmed by the responses. The ball was rolling. There were 7,000 cards the first year to nursing facilities in Florida. Senior facilities heard about it and asked to be put on the list to receive cards.
Social groups and classrooms signed up to help with the messages and cards. Sara takes cards to lunches and her friends take time out before food is served to write inspiring messages.
Once the cards are completed with messages, they are sent to Florida. The cards are sent in bulk from Florida to activity directors throughout the country and then distributed to individuals.
“We don’t have a physical office, all the work is by volunteers,” Ron said.
Katrina Mangold, who is the activity director with Tanglewood in South Bend, said the cards are loved and cherished at Tanglewood. “During the pandemic, when everything was limited, the cards were a ray of sunshine. When you see their faces light up, you know it is all worth it. It brings a lot of love.”
Bob Lux, retired WSBT radio personality, said he started getting cards at home after a medical issue. "I was getting a few cards a day. Beautiful cards all saying they care and they are praying for me. I’ve gotten at least 100 cards.”
Bob said the card people are great and bring so much joy and blessings. “It is a great story of helping others.”
Ron said it has proven to be a great way to keep spirits up and people happy. He gets feedback all the time about the benefits. “I have a fulltime job that feeds my stomach. This one feeds my soul.”
For information on volunteering, signing or donations, visit bringsmilestoseniors.com or check out the Facebook page.
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Alfred Guillaume Jr. recently received the Chancellor’s Medal from Indiana University South Bend. The medal is given by the chancellor to an individual who shows outstanding support of IUSB and serves as a role model for students and alumni through their integrity, leadership, and commitment.
Alfred served as a professor of French and retired in 2013 as IUSB’s executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. He volunteers, serves on multiple boards, and recently led a private fundraising effort to purchase a bronze statue of Harriet Tubman for the city of South Bend.
The Night of the Titan event also honored seven Alumni of the Year awards. The recipients and schools were: Andrea Bray, Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts; Ivy Butler, School of Education; Kristi Dunn, IU South Bend Libraries; Aja Ellington, School of Social Work; Steven Turner, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Rebecca Wooster, Vera Z. Dwyer College of Health Sciences; and Rudy Yakym III, Judd Leighton School of Business and Economics.
Contact Kathy at kfborlik@yahoo.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Greeting cards bring smiles to senders and recipients
