The Emporia Arts Center held its fourth annual “Project Share the Love” during the First Friday Art Walk on Feb. 6 alongside an art display from Angie Pickman.
Project Share the Love collects Valentine’s cards from people all around the community to be sent out to various centers in Emporia, including Homestead of Emporia Assisted Living, Sunflower Care Homes of Emporia, Emporia Presbyterian Manor, Flint Hills Care and Rehabilitation Center and Midland Care.
The goal each year is to receive around 300 cards made from members of the community to send to these care facilities. The EAC usually receives between 300-400 cards, with leftover cards to save for the next year or to give to other facilities.
At the activity booth the EAC had on First Friday, people of all ages crouched down or got on their tippy-toes to reach all the stamps, markers, tape, etc. to decorate their own Valentine’s Day card.
One child, Hazel, expressed love for the flower, dolphin and “apple kitty” stamps, which they used to make a card for their mom.
When talking with Katie Owens, educational instructor for the EAC, a volunteer proudly shared their Valentine’s card to Owens before putting it in the mailbox that was already overflowing with cards.
“(I) love seeing how people are so proud of their work that they want to show it off,” Owens said. “And it’s part of sharing the community togetherness that it brings. It’s ‘Hey, I want your opinion on this. Hey, I’m proud of this. I’m feeling good about myself.’ It’s fun to see how genuine the love that they’re sending off is because they truly want other people to feel great.”
On Feb. 7, the cards were delivered from EAC to the facilities, where the residents will receive the letters.
Flint Hills Care and Rehabilitation Center has been receiving cards from EAC for the last three years, along with a tradition filled with goodie bags for both residents and employees of the center.
The cards help to make Valentine’s Day special for the residents, said Tonya Rangel, the facility’s activity director.
“We make Valentine’s Day bags like you make in grade school,” Rangel said. “And we put them on a rope and bring them to the living room. Everybody has a Valentine’s Day bag, including staff, throughout the [holiday] week. Two weeks before Valentine’s Day, I do Valentines with the residents, and we fill bags up, and then when we get Valentines from Share the Love. I put a Valentine in each of their bags. I think it’s important to bring up holidays so they can remember what holidays used to be like and that there’s still holidays there.”
