Several seniors were filled with joy as they received cards of well wishes from adults with developmental disabilities at J.O.E.
“Dear friend, we want you to know that you have friends at J.O.E. We hope that you stay warm, safe and healthy this winter,” reads one of the 4,250 cards sent out to several community members during the cold months of the pandemic.
As the pandemic lingers on, J.O.E. kicked off the Post Card Project part of its Community Helper’s program funded by United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin and the federal government.
“We really wanted to be able to reach out to the community,” said Nicole Marchesseau, project manager at J.O.E.
“Being able to reach folks that are isolated makes a big difference and I hope that the people who are making the cards also feel the same way.”
She said the group has received a lot of support from community members over time and wanted to reach out and connect with them during the pandemic and remind them that J.O.E. cares about them and misses them.
“It was something we wanted to nurture to just give back to the community,” said Marchesseau.
Marchesseau said J.O.E. reached out to 15 community organizations informing them of the initiative so they could place card orders for the people they support. Organizations included HOPE House, Elliott Community, Norfolk Manor, and The Children's Foundation.
On Thursday, Elliott Community posted a video of them presenting the cards to their long-term care residents which illuminated their faces with joy.
Thank you @JoeGuelph for the lovely Christmas cards! They are brightening everyone's spirits 🎄😊#theelliottcommunity #JOE pic.twitter.com/6yKpWIbQCB
— Elliott Community (@ElliottGuelph) November 26, 2020
“It's heart-wrenching,” said Fiona Miletic, marketing coordinator at The Elliott Community.
She said J.O.E. members have been volunteering with Elliott Community for years but have unable to visit because of the pandemic.
“To hear their voices in the video where they're making the cards brought tears to the staff's eyes,” said Miletic.
She said the cards lit up the faces of residents and staff in the organization. She said for many, it was the first Christmas card of the season.
“We just miss everybody so much, Just as much as the residents miss their families and friends, we miss their friends and families and volunteers just as much,” said Miletic.
The cards included three kinds of cards with different messages.
“We decided as a group what we wanted to put on the cards,” said Marchesseau.
One of the cards included a blank postcard so recipients could then send a card to someone else.
“Every little card has an impact on the person who receives it and gives the second card to pay it forward,” said Marchesseau.
“One of the really amazing things that happened is Justin (Chan) from The Community Company reached out and said you know what? We’d like to sponsor you for this project.”
Each holiday card sold by The Community Company sponsors the printing costs of three postcards by J.O.E. Justin Chan, founder of The Community Company said the holiday cards are different because they aimed to capture the true emotions those who created them are feeling, emotions such as hope.
“The printing costs were quite high and Justin had very graciously sponsored us for some of those printing costs,” said Marchesseau.
Marchesseau said J.O.E. members were very excited about the project.
“They really enjoyed writing the messaging on the card,” said Marchesseau.
“It's a pretty big deal. I think when they (community members) receive the cards and now that the press is starting to cover it a little bit, they will realize it's a bigger deal.”
Marchesseau said although the team will never fully know the impact the cards had on each person unless they hear from the people who received and distributed the cards directly.
“Being able to reach folks that are isolated makes a big difference and I hope that the people who are making the cards also feel the same way,” said Marchesseau.
