Woodward Talk Feature 1.27.10

Some Love for the Seniors

Gift shop asks residents to create valentines for assisted living homes

By Jeremy Selweski

 

Photo by Edward Osinski

This Valentine’s Day, Berkley gift shop Catching Fireflies is asking residents to create handmade valentines for local seniors, owner April McCrumb, seen here, will be accepting donations through Feb. 11.

BERKLEY — With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, Berkley gift shop Catching Fireflies is asking the community to create handmade valentines for local seniors.

Through Feb. 11, residents of all ages can donate colorful cards showcasing hearts, cupids and other symbols of love, which will be distributed to a pair of assisted living homes just in time for Valentine’s Day. The new “Share Some Love” project is part of Catching Fireflies’ efforts to brighten up the frigid and often dreary mid-winter months.

“This time of year can be a little sad or depressing for some people,” said April McCrumb, owner of Catching Fireflies. “We thought this was a really simple way to help cheer up some of these seniors. Besides, who doesn’t like getting a little extra something special in their mailbox?”

McCrumb pointed out that in an age when so many people communicate via e-mail, text message and social networking sites, they often forget how nice it is to receive a handmade gift from someone who cares.

In exchange for three or more valentines and the purchase of any store item, Catching Fireflies customers will also receive a free heart photo magnet — bearing the phrase “The heart that gives, gathers” — as a special thank you.

Once all the cards are collected, Catching Fireflies will deliver them to seniors at St. Anne’s Mead Senior Community in Southfield and Sunrise Senior Living in Rochester. Cecilia Mrock, activities and volunteer coordinator at Sunrise, said the facility’s 90 residents would be “thrilled” to receive valentines from people in the community.

“A lot of our seniors don’t get any mail on Valentine’s Day,” she explained. “Often- times, they’ve lost a lot of family members or their family lives far away. They can get pretty lonely, which is why they get so excited whenever they get any new mail.”

In the past, Mrock pointed out, seniors at Sunrise have received Valentine’s Day cards from students at local elementary schools. Now, Catching Fireflies will be joining that tradition.

“It’s so delightful for our residents, especially when the kids come in to see them,” she said. “It’s something they really cherish.”

Mrock added that when the weather gets a little warmer, she plans to take the seniors for a visit to Catching Fireflies’ Rochester store, which is located right down the street from Sunrise.

About two weeks into the Share Some Love project, McCrumb said that she had already received at least four or five dozen valentines at the Berkley location. She has been especially impressed by the level of creativity on display and the amount of time and effort that residents have put into their cards.

“We’re not looking for overly complex artwork — it can be really simple,” she noted. “But a lot of people have really gone above and beyond. I’m overwhelmed with the quality of cards we’ve received so far at the Berkley store. We could sell these!”

For McCrumb, Share Some Love is a great example of what Catching Fireflies hopes to achieve: In addition to offering an array of whimsical gifts, the store is trying to put together community outreach projects that encourage its customers to get involved.

“We just want to give people a lot of fun activities to do and maybe help some people out along the way,” McCrumb said. “It’s cold outside right now, so it’s more fun to do crafty things inside like this. You’re not only using your imagination, you’re also creating something special for someone who will be very appreciative of it.”

Catching Fireflies is located at 3117 W. 12 Mile Road in downtown Berkley. For more information on the Share Some Love project, call (248) 336-2030 or visit www.catchingfireflies.com.

Comments

[Lisa Klima]

Thanks for sharing these good Valentine ideas. I liked when you said seniors get so excited over new mail- that has been our experience too at our site, http://www.Seniorstore.com where we sell gifts for seniors. I have had many seniors tell me they appreciate the thought behind gifts as much as anything else.