October 23, 2020 (Mt. Airy, NC) ─Sometimes, all it takes to bring a smile to someone’s face is a stamp and an envelope! Good news recently arrived in the mailbox at Twelve Oaks, a DePaul Senior Living Community in Mt. Airy.

The 42 member Walter M. Matthews chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) at East Surry High School recently personalized store-bought and homemade greeting cards to send to the seniors at Twelve Oaks and other area senior communities. As NHS members, the students are required to perform both individual and group service hours in the community. Past group projects have included food bank collection, homeless shelter projects, campus beautification, and helping teachers get ready for the start of school.

With the pandemic, our ability to get out in the community to help is very limited, said NHS Advisor Amanda Hunter, a math teacher at East Surry High. This year, students opted to send “sunshine” cards to seniors in area nursing home and assisted living communities as the service project.

“With my own grandmother being in an assisted living facility, I understand how hard this has been on the elderly as their interactions with family members and with other residents have been limited,” said Hunter. “Our goal was to hopefully brighten the day for someone else during what could be a rough time for them.”

Residents Hilda Bowen and Bonnie Lundy are pictured top row with letters from the East Surry High School National Honor Society members. Pictured bottom row are residents Nolie Boyles and Alene Gates, both of whom recently received letters from North Carolina Senator Philip Berger congratulating them on their milestone birthdays.

For more information about Twelve Oaks, please contact Administrator Penny Haynes at (336) 786-1130, at phaynes@depaul.org or visit us on Facebook.