Today we had the privilege to deliver our hearts to the 3rd floor residence at the Lord Chamberlain Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Earlier, I put a call out for volunteers to come and help with the delivery and I was so pleased and proud of how many came out. We even had two new faces join us, and I truly hope we see more of them at our events.
This is one of the first deliveries I have organized and been involved with from start to finish. It really touched my heart to see the looks on the recipients' faces when I told them about the organization and how people they didn't even know got together to paint these hearts for them just to let them know that they are loved, that they are cared for, and think that that they are special. As each heart was given out, our volunteers took out the message card and read to the resident who painted the heart and what the message of caring for them was. It was such a gift to watch their faces light up with pure joy and delight at hearing these messages. So many of them said things like, "She/He made this for me?" or "She/He said that to me? Thank you, thank you so much!" So many of them had tears in their eyes at the idea that someone could think them so special.
So I want to thank each and every one of you who had any part of these hearts, those of you who came to our June event to paint, the second graders at Eli Whitney school in Mrs. Maida's and Miss Puskar's classes, and the 5th graders in Mrs. Wilcoxson's and Mrs. Grindall's classes. Your hearts and your thoughtful messages touched their hearts more than you could have ever known. To those who came with me to deliver today: Hiroko and Eddie, Susan and Isabella and Gabby and Michael, MaryAnne, and Gigi and Tina, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you got as much out of the experience as the people who received these beautiful hearts. And finally, thank you to Margaret Boos at Lord Chamberlain, for allowing us in and for taking us around to meet each resident on the 3rd floor. Your kindness and generosity of spirit has gone a long way to make today a meaningful experience for us as well as your residence.
click on a photo to be taken to a larger view
(due to privacy issues, some of the photos we took cannot be uploaded and some of the faces have been blurred out)
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We interrupted Bingo to introduce ourselves and pass out some hearts to those in attendance.
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Off to give hearts to those who did not attend Bingo.
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Gabby reading a message card to a Hearts of Hope recipient.
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We interrupted Bingo a second time to make sure we didn't miss a single person.
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This woman below is 106 years young.
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Our baskets are empty, but our hearts are full!
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Goodbye until next time!
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