Kids & Family
Kids Create Cards For Coronavirus Shut-Ins At Nursing Home
A Dacula woman asked for cards for coronavirus shut-ins at a Gwinnett retirement home, and local fifth-graders took up the challenge.
DACULA, GA — More than a dozen fifth-graders from Puckett’s Mill Elementary School spent spring break making cards to cheer up senior citizens confined by the coronavirus to a nearby nursing home. The cards will be delivered Friday, in time for the Easter weekend.
Marilee Froug of Dacula organized the effort at first because coronavirus restrictions kept her from being with her mother at Delmar Gardens of Gwinnett in Lawrenceville. “We visit her six days a week normally, but since they’ve been on lockdown we haven’t been able to see her,” Froug told Patch. “But we can bring her cards.”
Then Froug took it a step further: Why not make cards for everyone at Delmar Gardens? She posted her idea on the Dacula Patch site to ask for help.
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Eventually the idea made its way to fifth-grade teacher Laura Thetford, who co-facilitates the Junior Beta Club, a student service group at Puckett’s Mill. Thetford had just emailed students reminding them of service opportunities while under shutdown when one of the parents responded with a link to Froug’s post. Thetford got in touch with Froug immediately.
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It turned out to be a perfect storm of goodwill. “All these parents have kids with nothing to do,” Froug said. And Thetford’s Beta Club kids needed something to do.
Thetford said she soon heard back from 14 families. Each student was then assigned to make three or four cards. "I got a few emails back with pictures, just showing me their artwork and some of their cards," Thetford said. "Which, of course, was adorable."
A few days later, Froug was waiting in the parking lot of Puckett’s Mill to load cards into the back of her SUV. About 25 kids dropped off cards, coming "faster than I could keep up with," Froug told Patch.
She ended up with 215 cards. About 200 residents live at Delmar Gardens, but some are married couples who will receive only one card. Froug said she hopes to bring the extras to another nearby retirement home.
After consulting with administrators at Delmar Gardens, Froug agreed to deliver the cards — packed in individual zip lock bags — to the facility on Friday. The cards will be distributed Saturday to add some holiday cheer over the Easter weekend.
With coronavirus restrictions anticipated for awhile, Froug said she would gladly do it again. "If people like this, we could do it for other facilities," she said. "It doesn't have to be a one-time thing."
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