In semesters past I have visited nursing/assisted living homes in order to bring a smile to elders faces. This semester I wanted to give back to the elders, but because of COVID-19 restrictions were put into place I wasn’t able to go to those facilities. That is when I discovered Letters Against Isolation. Letters Against Isolation is an organization that sends letters to nursing homes all over the United States in an effort to bring a smile to elders during these troubling times. While writing these letters I realized how much joy a simple card brings to people and how valuable human contact really is rather it is in person or even a simple card.

I decided to write 10 letters. I wrote 5 letters to The Commons at Woodland Hills in California, and I wrote 5 letters to Sunnyside Village in Florida. It is very heartwarming to know that the kind words we share can have an impact on someones life. It gives the elders hope in a time where there is little hope to be shown.

If you are interested, you can visit www.lettersagainstisolation.com/ and you can sign up to get involved. From there you can sign up to volunteer and send letters to the elders that need it the most. After you sign up they will send you a Google doc where you can signup to send letters all over the United States. Help put a smile on someones face during this troubling time. If you need help, feel free to email me at emily.boggess@usm.edu.

Emily Boggess is a junior Luckyday Scholar majoring in elementary education.