Woman's Club Encourages All to "Give a Little Kindness"

"Small gestures in everyday life," like showing compassion and performing random acts of kindness, help us feel loved.

During this time of the Covid-19 "Stay at Home" rules that so many are diligently upholding, what happens to those elderly and infirm people who don't have the luxury of being in their own homes with their loved ones around them? They are stuck in a nursing facility where they cannot interact with other residents and everyone looks strange in their masks and gloves. Their family and friends cannot visit, and if they have Alzheimer's or Dementia, their routines and comforting activities have been interrupted severely or stopped altogether.

If they are sick and unable to leave their beds, in order to maintain distancing, no one comes to see them. And even the nursing staff acts differently and doesn't interact with them the same. Physical isolation is important for public health right now, but our elders deserve to feel supported, too.

In the digital age, words on paper are a novelty that we overlook, so cards, pictures and letters are something to cherish: to set on a desk, to stick on the table beside the bed, to put in a scrapbook.

We are not all Hemingway, but we can all make something beautiful for others by putting a kind word in a card or letter, or by drawing a picture, or writing a poem. It might feel difficult at first to do something for someone you don't know. But you just pretend like it's a conversation! What kinds of things would you want to talk about to a stranger? Or pretend like it is your Mom or Dad and you are sending them a picture or a poem that tells them how you feel about them. Kindness is in the Giving, and everyone wants to be given a little kindness.

The GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales has begun a project to "Give a little Kindness" to the residents of the local nursing homes. They are collecting "Thinking of You" cards and personalizing all of them with encouraging words of love and thoughtfulness. They are making sure that the residents of Savannah Court, The Groves, and Grace nursing homes all receive cards reminding them that they are not forgotten or abandoned.

The ladies of the Woman's Club have provided over 200 cards so far and there is room for many more!

Take a few minutes right now, sit down, and write a letter or a card to an elder (a stranger) telling them about yourself, maybe say a joke or a riddle and let them know that they are loved.

Making a difference can be so simple, yet it can be incredibly impactful! Be kind and thoughtful (not just talking about yourself). This is a one-way letter exchange, meaning you will not receive a letter back, so remember that no reciprocation attached is part of the beauty of your act of kindness, and the recipients don't feel burdened by feeling obligated or being unable to respond.

Your acts of Kindness can be placed in the mailbox outside of the Woman's Club at 275 E Park Avenue, downtown Lake Wales, or you can email the Club at [email protected] to arrange a time and place for one of the ladies to pick up your cards or offerings.

Because contact is so limited and the nursing homes are on lock down, the ladies ask that you let them handle the delivery of the cards and letters rather than attempting to bombard the staff personnel at different times with unscheduled activity.