Battle Ground Senior Citizens Inc. is launching its first Valentine’s Day card project, inviting community members of all ages to help send messages of care to seniors living in assisted care facilities in town.
The nonprofit is collecting Valentine’s Day cards for residents at Creekside Memory Care and Mallard Landing. Cards will be distributed to residents ahead of Valentine’s Day to help ease isolation and remind seniors they are remembered.
Lori Lindberg, a board advisor with Battle Ground Senior Citizens Inc. (BGSC), stated that the nonprofit received an email from an assisted living facility in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin facility had received hundreds of cards from across the country, which sparked the idea to create a similar effort locally.
“And so we thought, well, shoot, we should do this locally,” Lindberg said.
Community members can participate by mailing Valentine’s Day cards directly to either facility, dropping them off in person, or, for seniors who attend Battle Ground Senior Citizens luncheons, bringing cards to be delivered as a group. Cards do not need to be addressed to a specific resident and should be signed with a first name only.
In addition to seniors involved in BGSC, local teens from Rocksolid Community Teen Center will also be making Valentine’s Day cards to contribute to the project, helping bridge generations through a simple act of kindness.
“This is a first-time event, and I’m hoping that the community as a whole gathers around loving on our seniors in this very simple way,” Lindberg said.
Cards should be mailed or delivered before Valentine’s Day to allow time for sorting and distribution. Seniors who plan to submit cards through BGSC should bring them by the Feb. 9 luncheon.
One of the nonprofit's goals is for BGSC to combat loneliness among local seniors, an effort that Lindberg stated this new project contributes to.
“A lot of these seniors are isolated in these assisted living homes, and it would make them feel remembered and loved on Valentine’s Day,” Lindberg said. “Anytime we can come up with projects to help alleviate that, we’re all about it.”
Cards can be sent to the following locations:
Creekside Memory Care
Attn: Rebecca Monen
208 SW 20th Ave.
Battle Ground, WA 98604
Mallard Landing
Attn: Mary Iamsamang
813 SE Clark Ave.
Battle Ground, WA 98604
