On Jan. 17 through Jan. 26, the student council created handmade Valentines for the residents of Garvey Manor. They made a total of 144 Valentines.  

Student council adviser Kimberly Shope arranged the Valentines by coordinating with Garvey Manor’s activity director, Barb Hileman. 

“This is our first year doing this for Garvey Manor. In the past, we often were involved in providing a Christmas holiday event with Garvey, but due to having so many events in December, we agreed to move our event to February,” Shope said.

Due to limitations, the student council wasn’t able to make a Valentine for every resident. 

“We did include an oversized Valentine’s card wishing everyone at Garvey a warm and wonderful Valentine’s holiday,” Shope said. 

Although the activity director already received the Valentines, they won’t be distributed until sometime around Feb. 14. 

“We wanted to do something to brighten their day and let them know they are thought about. Again, there are limitations about what can be given in order to protect the health of the residents, so this made the most sense,” Shope said. 

In total, it took student council members four days to make all of the Valentines. Whether or not this activity will take place in the future is still unknown.  

“I think anytime there can be an intergenerational project that it’s good for both age groups. People are social beings and these types of connections are important, even if it is something as simple as a Valentine,” Shope said. 

Sophomore Isabella Graham helped make between 15 and 20 Valentines.  

“Making the Valentines only took about 45 minutes to an hour after school. I just listened to music and put them all together,” Graham said. 

Graham has been in the student council for two years in high school, but she was also a member in elementary school. 

“I wanted to help out the student council and make the Valentines they are giving to the residents. I thought it was a really cute idea,” Graham said. 

Graham’s great grandma lived in a nursing home.  

“I know she always got happy when the community did something for her, so I think it’s really nice that Altoona is bringing that joy to people,” Graham said. 

Graham looks forward to being in the student council next year.  

“The overall experience of making the Valentines was pretty rewarding. Plus, they were super cute,” Graham said. 

Sophomore Olivia Noel’s grandmother also has lived in a nursing home.  

“She was in the nursing home for about four weeks, but she was just now able to go home,” Noel said. 

Noel’s grandmother was in the Maybrook Hills Rehabilitation and Healthcare center. 

“At first, I was really upset since she wasn’t home, but the people there ended up being really nice. I was able to visit her there before she was released,” Noel said. 

Noel noticed an impact on herself and her family after her grandmother was placed in the nursing home.  

“It made me realize how much someone can go through in such a small amount of time. First she was in the hospital, then a rehabilitation center, then the nursing home and now back at home, within a few short months,” Noel said. “It made my other family members really step up and take action because of how many things needed to be taken care of.”

Local elderly residents, including Noel’s grandmother, appreciate handmade valentines. 

“I would just like to say you never know what is going on in someone else’s life, so don’t judge a book by its cover,” Noel said.