Christiana Conway moved to B.C. from Ireland late last year and still canB次元官网网址檛 help but feel a little melancholy and homesick.
B次元官网网址淚 know what it is to celebrate Christmas away from my parents and my siblings,B次元官网网址� said Conway, who quickly realized others here are in a similar situation.
The 25-year-old has made a new home in the Parksville Qualicum Beach area. She said that when she thought about the many seniors in the area living in care homes, she imagined what they go through every Christmas.
She wanted to do something.
B次元官网网址淢y heart really went out to them. I guess itB次元官网网址檚 a lonely season for the elderly every year and this year even more so with the COVID-19 pandemic,B次元官网网址� said Conway. B次元官网网址淪o I was thinking of a way that we could encourage them and I came up with this idea of writing letters.B次元官网网址�
Conway, with the help of her husband Chris Conway and friend Elizabeth Doell, began writing letters by hand in October. It took them nearly three months to write 330 letters, which have now been distributed to senior residents at Stanford Village, Arrowsmith Lodge, Cokely Manor and Little Mountain Manor.
B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e little Christmas cards and they have a little Christmas message and encouragement including well wishes for the coming year,B次元官网网址� said Conway. B次元官网网址淲e want them to know that theyB次元官网网址檙e loved and remembered this Christmas.B次元官网网址�
Conway said they purchased the Christmas cards themselves but would have created them if more people were involved. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, they werenB次元官网网址檛 able to get more friends to come out and join them.
B次元官网网址淚t took too much time writing them that we just didnB次元官网网址檛 have enough time to make the Christmas cards,B次元官网网址� said Conway. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e written quite a lot. We didnB次元官网网址檛 use a computer. We wanted them all hand-written because we wanted to have a personal touch. WeB次元官网网址檝e got a list of names and theyB次元官网网址檙e personally addressed.B次元官网网址�
Conway hopes to do it again next year and would like to personally hand them out to recipients.
B次元官网网址淚t has been a lot of fun and weB次元官网网址檝e had a lot of support even before we began handing them out,B次元官网网址� said Conway. B次元官网网址淲e definitely want to do this again and involve more people. I would like this to become a family tradition. It has been a great experience.B次元官网网址�
For more news from Vancouver Island and beyond delivered daily into your inbox, please
Like us on and follow us on
