Ash Bolt
Senior residents at Ingenia Gardens Geelong and children from Whittington Child and Family Centre have been sharing the gift of kindness and celebrating community this holiday season through a Christmas card exchange.
The seniors and students posted handwritten Christmas cards to each other for a socially distanced festive season.
Ingenia Gardens Geelong community manager Ann Sayer said mind and mood-boosting activities like the Christmas card exchange played a key role in lifting spirits and reducing the risk of isolation for seniors in the community.
“It’s a wonderful initiative that allows these two groups to interact with each other in a positive way,” Ms Sayer said.
“Our residents absolutely loved the cards and the messages inside brought a smile to everyone’s faces.
“COVID-19 really did disrupt so many aspects of our lives, but it also taught us the importance of social connections, especially for our residents.
“Being able to write cards to the students helped them feel like an important part of the wider community, staying connected and social.”
Ingenia Gardens Geelong resident Margaret Oates said opening her mail to find a Christmas card from one of the children at the local day care centre was a highlight of her Christmas celebrations.
“My friend and I got together to open our cards and we had a lovely time reading their very sweet messages,” Mrs Oates said.
“Some of the residents don’t have grandchildren or their grandchildren live too far away to visit so I know participating in the card exchange really brightened their day.
“The children all have such different personalities, and this really shone through in the cards they created.
“I’m really looking forward to the day when we can exchange cards in person and do some arts and crafts as well.”
