Happy New Year!
I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays with their families, friends, care recipients, and neighbors. 2022 was an exciting year, as we saw people gather more in community and reconnect after several years of a tough pandemic environment. Hearts and Hands saw an increase in community engagement and activation. We are still finalizing our year-end, and I’ll be excited to share the numbers with you in February.
For now, what I want to share with you is a heartwarming testimonial of faith in action. Our community partner, St. Pius X Church took on a project with their children’s spiritual formation group. They created over 100 personal holiday greeting cards for care recipients in the Amherst, Getzville, and Williamsville area. The purpose of the project was to connect with those care recipients who are socially isolated and remind them that they are being thought of during the holiday season. Over the break, we received this voicemail from a care recipient of a card:
“Hey Martin, this is Betty, with a thank you for the lovely, lovely Christmas card that I received from the St. Pius X faith formation students. It was such a surprise and a real treat. It was a delight, if you have an opportunity to thank the students, please do. It was just lovely, and I sincerely hope you and all the staff and volunteers at Hearts and Hands have a wonderful New Year.”
Listening to testimonials like this, remind me of what a privilege it is to serve YOU the folks who are out there making a difference in your neighborhood. Thank you for all that you do, I am truly looking forward to serving you over the next year.
Your neighbor,
Aaron
