KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Nathanael Laing has been writing cards to nursing homes for about 10 years, but once the coronavirus pandemic hit, he knew he had the ability to make a real difference.
So, he got to work. He talked to his friends and started “Pens for a Purpose” at Bearden High School. The club has a simple mission: reduce isolation by sending cards to nursing homes.
"When I expanded this to Bearden I wanted to not only have it to a religious level, because that's where I've been doing service mostly, but I also wanted to have a community impact," Laing said.
And they have accomplished just that.
"Pens for a Purpose" only has three members, but the group is writing more than 300 cards to nursing homes in the area each month. Right now, they have partnered with Echo Ridge Nursing Home and Deane Hill Place to deliver the cards. They also have a mailbox set up so residents can write back.
"Unfortunately there's little we can do inside of the buildings, so we basically give them the completed project and a letter that asks them to distribute them," Laing said.
Michelle Zhong, one of Laing’s friends who serves as the vice president for the club, said she saw it as an opportunity to form new relationships.
“The big goal is that we're just trying to brighten up people's days and really hope that we can establish real, new relationships and get to know people of our community as well,” Zhong said.
Zhong said while there are several service-oriented organizations at Bearden, none of them really focused on the elderly population or people in isolation.
"I always thought the elderly population is one that is often forgotten when we think about our community," Zhong said. "I thought it was really important that we reach out to them and we let them know that we're thinking of them."
While 300 cards a month is an ambitious goal for a club of three people, each card is made with love and attention.
“For all my cards, I like to just hand draw all of them and write all of them because I really want to put my sincerity and really show my genuine feelings towards this project, and I think that's one of the best ways to do it,” Zhong said.
Laing said the pandemic was a perfect time to expand his card writing practice. He said because of coronavirus, many people have left retirement homes or long-term care facilities. This provides the group with an opportunity to reach even more people that may be back in their homes, he said.
“In addition to servicing nursing homes, we would also like to reach out to family members who were brought home from those homes and really include them –– so basically a community-wide effort,” he said.
That’s why the group created a website where people can request cards to be sent to loved ones no matter where they are.
You can submit a request at pensforapurpose.com.
