Give & Take: Showing Love for Our Elders Through Letters
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had a close relationship with my grandparents. Hearing their stories from when they were younger, creating memories together during a holiday dinner, or just sitting and spending time with them is something I’ll always cherish. In today’s digital world, receiving a handwritten card from my grandparents every year for my birthday is something I always look forward to - the excitement of checking my mailbox for that letter never gets old.
Just like I appreciate a handwritten letter, so too do our elders – whether we personally know them or not. Love For Our Elders, an initiative founded in 2013 to help combat and alleviate the growing loneliness epidemic, has mailed hundreds of thousands of letters to senior communities since its founding. On the 1st of every month, Love For Our Elders features a new set of elders on their website along with bios written by the person who nominated them. The bios include things that the elders enjoy doing, a bit about their background and family life, and most importantly, how words and stories might truly help brighten their day.
During the month of January, Prosek organized in-office letter writing events in support of this initiative. Across our offices, participants were encouraged to read each of the bios before personally choosing an elder that resonated with them. In the letters, we told them about ourselves, our personal interests, or even shared a joke or riddle. Overall, it was a great way for colleagues to come together to help send this group some love. I think we can all learn a lot from elders, whether they are our direct family or part of a larger community. Everyone deserves a mailbox full of love letters, and Love For Our Elders is on a mission to make that happen.
If you’re interested in participating in this initiative, feel free to visit the website https://loveforourelders.org/ to help fulfill letter requests for the rest of the year. Together, as the organization states, “we’re fighting loneliness with love, one letter at a time.” 