A group of sophomores recently got inspired to found a Carlsbad chapter of the Sending Sunshine program at CHS. The club’s goal is to create cards containing positive messages and greetings to send to senior citizens.
“Pascal did a lot of the work, but [she found the program through] Instagram and thought it was really cool and gathered us to put a local chapter together,” sophomore Alessia Mattucci said. “We thought it would be beneficial to everyone here, not only to get their community service hours completed, but also to help the senior citizens on the receiving end and to make a difference in our community.”
At club meetings, students collaborate to make compassionate cards for elderly people. The cards have messages intended to cheer up those who might feel lonely in a retirement home.
“You can come in, write cards for the elderly, and get 30 minutes of community service per card you write,” Mattucci said. “Then at the end of the school year, when the club is over, we’ll take all the cards the club writes and send them off to the larger Sending Sunshine organization. They distribute the cards to seniors all over North America.”
A variety of students attend each meeting and contribute their unique talents to making cards for the elderly, who can sometimes feel isolated in retirement homes. Sophomore Olivia Town enjoys the peers she gets to work with and the positive environment.
“The community is full of a lot of people that genuinely want to make cards and be there, and I think it boosts the mood a lot,” Town said. “It’s a really nice way to spend my lunch, and you get community service [hours], which is a bonus.”
The meetings are very efficient, with students making 3 or 4 cards on average at each meeting. With all of the members that continue to come to meetings and bring their friends, the CHS chapter produces stacks of cards.
“We’ve had three meetings so far with a great turnout,” Mattucci said. “Around 20-30 people, so a whole classroom full, come per meeting. By the end of our meetings each day we could have up to 100 cards in total, which is amazing.”
With the high turnout so far, the club members are optimistic for the future. They believe they can keep running the club for years to come and continue to bring in more people.
“We plan on keeping it going on for as long as we can because it’s been positive so far and we think it’ll continue to be,” Mattucci said. “The club has proven to have a positive impact on a lot of people, there really aren’t any reasons to stop.”
While being in the club is a great way to spread positive messages to those far away, the Sending Sunshine club can also bring a good mood to those on campus. Some members feel that making the cards isn’t just a way to get community service hours, it also can brighten their day.
“After making all of the cards, I just feel a lot better,” Town said. “It’s nice knowing I get to make a difference for someone and doing it alongside my friends makes it a lot more fun.”
Overall, the Sending Sunshine club has been a large success this school year and the leaders plan to keep having meetings and continue to spread kind words to the elderly. They meet every other Thursday at lunch in room 3205.
“We hope to continue to make an impact on both students and seniors around the world,” Mattucci said. “Students can get in their community service hours and cheer up an older person with just a few kind words.”
