Rosie Atkinson '23, Hannah Moore '23, Hadley Siena '24, Suhani Garg '24, and Eleanor Laufenberg '24 organized a card making project that took place during lunch on October 15th. The five members wanted to express their care for the elderly in a safe and distant manner, so they contacted Clark-Lindsey to see how they could assist the residential community during such uncertain times; this resulted in the card making project coming into existence.
Caring Crew members and other students came together to create cards to pass out to residents and staff members. The team’s goal was to make positive and thoughtful cards to cheer up the elderly Clark-Lindsey residents. Rosie Atkinson elaborates, “Since the pandemic, [Clark-Lindsey residents] have not been allowed visitors, so I thought that this would be a great way to interact and show them some love.”
The Caring Crew’s Family Support Group reached out to multiple organizations, but they quickly decided on Clark-Lindsey. Suhani Garg explains, “[Clark-Lindsey] were the ones who suggested making cards for the residents. All we had to do was work out the schematics to make it fit for everyone.” Hadley Siena raised an important concern of distanced projects, not only for Academy High’s safety and well-being but also for the safety of the Champaign-Urbana community. This worked in the card making project’s favor, allowing for a distanced and low-risk activity that would make a positive impact within the community.
All five members shared a collective objective: to make Clark-Lindsey residents feel less alone. Rosie Atkinson says, “my main goal for this project when we were planning was to have fun making the cards! And hopefully have the residents enjoy receiving them as much as we enjoyed making them.” The weekday event had a respectable turn-out, which excited the Caring Crew members. Suhani Garg elaborates, “I definitely have gotten a sense of community and kindness within the school from this. It was so exciting to do a [community] project, and I’m glad we got a sizable participation.”
The five Caring Crew members are eager to get another card project up and running. Rosie Atkinson provides a quick glimpse into the future, saying, “One thing we talked about in our group was doing [a similar project] around the holiday season and making cards for all the different holidays people celebrate during that time.” Hadley Siena explains that even during times when COVID-19 isn’t present, residents are often still lonely, and staff members continue to do hard work every day. The team recognizes the immeasurable impact of small acts of kindness, and they look forward to making the card project into a recurring school event.