“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
What Can I Do?
Through the Love for the Elderly organization, you are able to send cards to elders across the world in more than sixty countries and six continents. Even by creating a single card, you are brightening the life of an elder who may be seeking a sense of comfort, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are also opportunities for you to record video messages and to submit stories to a blog about how much you appreciate the seniors in your own life.
About the Organization
Love for the Elderly was founded by Jacob Cramer, a nineteen-year-old college student and social activist, who was inspired by the grief he felt after his grandfather passed away. He wanted to ensure that elders across the globe felt loved and appreciated through the simple action of sending cards to them. When he first started Love for the Elderly, he sent a few cards to a senior center, and eventually, many others joined in on this act of kindness, creating the foundation of the non-profit. Visit the Love for the Elderly website for more details.
Sending the Letters
There is a list of guidelines regarding how the cards should be created and updates on the mailing of cards during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information about these basic guidelines, visit this web page. Once you have finished writing the letters, send them to this address:
Love For The Elderly
P. O. Box 24248
Cleveland, OH 44124
USA
Submitting a Senior Story
Submit a story about your favorite memories with the seniors in your life on the Senior Storybook blog. Visit this web page for a list of guidelines regarding word count, format, etc and a place for you to submit your writing entry.
Sending a Video Message
To learn more about how you can send a thirty-second video message to brighten the day of an elder, watch this video:
What Can I Do?
If you are 14 years old or older, you can volunteer at the Amos House soup kitchen to serve meals to those in need. The hours for breakfast volunteering occur between 6:30am and 8:30am on Mondays through Fridays, while lunch is served between 9:00am and 1:00pm. On Saturdays, only lunch is served between 9:00am and 1:00pm, but the soup kitchen is closed on the first Saturdays of each month.
How Do I Sign Up to Volunteer?
If you are interested in volunteering, contact Sindy Jimenez at sjimenez@amoshouse.com or call 401-272-0220 ext 218.
Where is Amos House Located?
Amos House can be found on 413 Friendship St. Providence, Rhode Island 02907.
What Can I Do?
With the challenges of hybrid learning, now more than ever, students are needing extra help with school. Through the Rhode Island chapter of the Teens Tutor Teens nonprofit, you are able to tutor other teens that need assistance with their schoolwork or you can also create worksheets and video presentations on your favorite subjects. The tutoring schedule is extremely flexible and works according to your availability. In addition, all the tutoring is completed virtually, so this opportunity is not affected by COVID-19.
Getting Started
If you are interested in becoming a tutor or have any questions, call 401-484-0157 or contact Angeline Costello '22, via email at angeline.c@teenstutorteens.com. From there, she will provide you with the necessary steps to get started. To learn more about the Rhode Island chapter of the nonprofit, check out the Teens Tutor Teens website and Instagram page.
Letters of Isolation is an organization made by two women, named Shreya and Saffron during the Covid-19 crisis. They created the organization in the hope of supporting isolated elderly people. Senior loneliness is a well-documented issue that was exacerbated by Covid-19. To uplift and support the elderly in care homes and assisted living, they among many others write handwritten letters. Today, the organization serves many in numerous countries such as the the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and Israel.
Each week a portal is sent that allows volunteers to sign up to send letters to any of the care homes of their choosing in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and Israel. However, in the portals, it does specify the language of the recipient. Volunteers are asked t not to include their phone numbers, send gifts, or any information or indicators that would identify themselves.
Mission Statement: "We fight senior loneliness one letter at a time. Through handwritten messages of love, hope, and joy, our volunteer community brings seniors connection and improves their mental and physical health."
Florence, Senior Recipient
“Thank you so very much! They really made my day. I enjoy them, I keep them, and I read them every day. The letters took me back to when I was a teenager receiving love letters!"
"When I walk through the halls, I can spy letters proudly displayed around many of the residents' rooms. Sometimes I'll ask about the stories behind them, and it's easy to sense how deeply personal they are to some residents."
ARTICLE: Letters Against Isolation: Ending senior loneliness through letters
What Can I Do?
Translators Without Borders is an organization that provides students with the opportunity to translate health-related messages and responses. As long as you are fluent in a language aside from your native one, you fit the criteria to apply for volunteering.
About the Organization
Translators Without Borders is an organization founded in France in 1993, but is now a U.S. non-profit that focuses on breaking language barriers regarding health and education. Volunteers are here to assist those who are suffering from humanitarian crises and are unable to fully understand English. Visit the Translators Without Borders website to read more about the organization.
How to Apply
Visit the "Volunteer" page of the Translators Without Borders website to fill out an electronic application.
What Can I Do?
Especially with the struggles of online learning throughout the United States, students must face educational challenges during their daily lives. However, you can provide some ease and assistance to those who are seeking out a tutor. Through the organization, Learn to Be, you can provide virtual 1-on-1 tutoring on subjects such as math, reading, science, and writing help for students from grades K-12.
About the Organization
Learn to Be consists of approximately 5,988 high school, college, and post-college volunteer tutors that provide educational assistance for those who seek out extra support. Currently, about 1,814 families are enrolled in the program, while the organization has helped approximately 4,356 families throughout its time. These families range in various ways as some consist of foster children and may depend on food stamps, while others are single parent households. Learn to Be strives to help these children who need assistance with understanding their school material. To learn more about the organization, you can visit its website.
Getting Started
If you are interested in getting started, you must fill out this application.