Langley Students Deliver Joy to Seniors in Care Through Letters and Art

June 1, 2020

For the past week Langley students have been hard at work writing messages, cards, and creating artwork to bring joy to seniors in the community for Seniors Week. “Our seniors have been devastated by COVID-19,” says teacher Wendy Cook. “Not only are they the most susceptible to contracting the virus they remain to be the ones who become isolated in our communities.” She, and the Langley Human Dignity Coalition put out the call last week to students to help support the isolated seniors.

The seniors initiative was brought to the Langley Human Dignity Coalition by former Trustee and Langley City Councillor, Rosemary Wallace. From there, students were asked to participate last week by submitting artwork or letters.

“The feeling was overwhelming,” Cook says. “We were all emotional and appreciative that the students and staff and community would take such care to let others, our seniors, know that they were loved.”

On Friday, May 29, all of the artwork and letters were collected, and the works filled the Langley School District’s board room. Hundreds of students participated to create the materials, from all over the District.

“When we arrived at the school board office there were items for two tables that had been dropped off,” explains Cook, “but then Chris Janzen [teacher] from [DW] Poppy arrived and we filled four more tables, then Balan Moorthy [from Walnut Grove] arrived with four more tables full, finally a representative from Langley Community Services arrived and we needed another two tables.”

Over six-hundred pieces of art and writing are set to be delivered to six different senior care homes on Wednesday. Langley Senior Resource Center, Langley Lodge, Jackman Manor, Langley Seniors Village, Magnolia Gardens, and Langley Lions Seniors Village are set to receive materials.

“The initiative has been more successful than we ever could have imagined,” says Trustee, Marnie Wilson, who helped coordinate the effort and organize with the seniors homes, “and the Langley Human Dignity Coalition is overwhelmed with gratitude for the support we received.”

The Langley Human Dignity Coalition is an organization who “works together to represent the diversity of the community, while promoting and advancing the principles of human dignity, equality and inclusion for all members of society,” according to their mission statement.The organization works in the community and within schools to promote inclusion and acceptance.