Brightening senior citizens’ day. And doors. And walls.

Miss Karen and Mr. Joe display cards they received from middle school students Sophie Lee and Sean Stone.

While much of Michigan may be starting to enjoy being outdoors, those living in nursing homes remain inside, unable to have visitors.

And so, as our last project of the school year, Anna’s Kindness volunteers from 10 different Ann Arbor schools made greeting cards for the two dozen residents in assisted living at The Gilbert Residence long-term nursing facility.

The cards celebrated spring and summer with bright colors and sunshine in the hopes of cheering up the residents. There were beautifully drawn birds, lots of flowers, a beach, and a few pineapples (oh, and Batman and Superman also made an appearance). Some students even included personal letters. And each card was personally addressed to specific residents in the assisted living wing.

The cards were delivered this week to the surprised and very appreciative group of seniors. Not only did the cards brighten their day, the cards wound up brightening their walls. And their doors. The cards became instant artwork for the residents’ rooms.

“Please hang this up for me,” said Henrietta, when she was given the lovely card that Tappan Middle School’s Danika Stone made for her.

“How cute,” said Colleen, who received her card from Tappan’s Anne Kollman.

“I’m so touched,” said Ms. Arline, whose card from Forsythe Middle School’s Catherine Van Lent was hung on her door. “Please tell them how wonderful this is.”

To view all their cards, click here.

Thank you to Chelsey Hewett, Madeline Ellies, Catherine Van Lent, Michal and Maya Kama from Forsythe Middle School; Meg Pinkerton, Anne Kollman, and Danika and Sean Stone from Tappan Middle School; Claire Wang, Sasha Knysh, Sophie Lee, and Ava Zangana from Clague Middle School; Stacy Stamadianos and Izzy Rehrauer from Slauson Middle School; elementary school students Lily Rehrauer, Becca Van Lent, and Katerina Knysh; and high school students Christopher Van Lent, Hayley Marchand, and Anna’s brother Alex LeFort.

And a special thank you to Maureen and The Gilbert Residence for allowing Anna’s Kindness volunteers to surprise the assisted living residents this week.