O'LEARY, P.E.I. — When Elizabeth Ezekiel and her daughter, Clara, heard that the Lady Slipper Villa in O’Leary was asking for Valentine’s cards, they leapt into action.
“My mom showed me the news article online, and she was like, ‘oh this might be a cool activity for you to do',” said Clara.
The idea to send cards to the Villa was started by Toni Vary, the home’s new activity director. She noticed the hallways of the nursing home were bare after she took down the Christmas decorations and brainstormed a way to breathe life into the space again.
When Vary reached out on Facebook with her request, she did so wanting to make them smile; residents haven’t been getting out as much or seeing as many people since the start of the pandemic.
“I thought it would be nice to let them know that there’s a whole bunch of people on there that sent them nice thoughts,” she said. “I thought that would be lovely.”
Vary expected a handful of cards, and ended up with over a hundred comments on her Facebook post. People with no relatives at Lady Slipper Villa, people from places like British Columbia and Massachusetts, were among the people asking for the mailing address.
“I thought it’d be kind of a fun thing for crafts, have the kids sit down at the table and make some cards up,” said Vary. “And that would be nice, but I got way more than I expected.”
Like those from across the country and south of the border, Elizabeth and Clara, who live on the other end of the Island in Mount Stewart, also have no connections to the home. That didn’t deter them from sending cards – in fact, it was the reason they decided to participate.
“We just thought it would be a neat way to connect with some people,” said Elizabeth, “since we were kind of feeling isolated, as well.”
Clara, 11, enjoys making crafts, like sewing and working with clay.
She hadn’t made many Valentine’s cards, or other holiday cards, before, except for her parents. The reason she started this year, she said, was because she wanted to bring some cheer to the residents in O’Leary.
“I really like helping people,” she said. “I figured, well, every little bit helps.”
Clara doesn’t know how many cards she made for Lady Slipper Villa, but she spent three hours one afternoon getting to work.
There were a combination of homemade cards – made with construction paper – and store-bought, which she jazzed up with notes addressed to “a special person.”
“I had a lot of fun,” she said, “and I know that people would really appreciate it.”
Although the activity started with a post from a single worker at one nursing home on the Island, Clara and her mother imagine turning their afternoon activity into a tradition, making cards for different homes every year.
Elizabeth said they’ve also begun making thank you cards for some front line workers, as well.
“I just [want them] to know that they’re being thought about and loved,” said Elizabeth. “We’re all going through tough times, but we can have little bits of connection here and there.”
Kristin Gardiner is the Journal Pioneer's rural reporter.
