Crafting kindness: Young library volunteers send Senior Cheer

The Findlay-Hancock County Public Library's Lindamood Room looked like a crafter's paradise. There were boxes filled with crayons and markers, stacks of construction paper, and bowls of fluffy pompoms, pipe cleaners, plastic beads, buttons and googly eyes — all waiting to become a card or gift for a senior citizen. Thursday's Tween Night Kindness Crafts program aimed to bring smiles to residents of local nursing homes through United Way of Hancock County's Senior Cheer program, said youth services librarian Sarah Cramer. "We are going to be making crafts for senior citizens and donating them to this really great program that cheers senior citizens," she told the crafters in attendance. The Tween Interest Group is open to youths in grades four through six who help choose children's programming, set up displays and assist with craft programs. This year's group has about a dozen members, Cramer said. "Pretty much anything that is open to the public, they're part of," she explained. Cramer said library volunteers have been making items for the Senior Cheer program for the past several years. The library provides the supplies, while the participants use their imaginations. "I thought that cards might be a good option, so we have cardstock and some ideas of things to put in cards," said Cramer. "They could also draw pictures, make a little craft, whatever they would like to make." Nine-year-old Anna Roth came prepared: The home-schooled fourth-grader brought along a handful of pictures that she'd already painted and colored. Her theme was unicorns disguised as sweet treats like doughnuts, ice cream cones and cotton candy. Considering her next project, Anna wondered what she could create with a giant blue feather, when someone suggested she could use it like an old-fashioned quill pen. "Yeah. If we had ink, we could write," she said. Instead, she decided to use a pencil and yellow crayon to make a greeting card decorated with a glass of lemonade — one of her favorite drinks. Aubree Alfred, 11, a Bigelow Hill Elementary School fifth-grader, opted to make posies using pipe cleaners for the stems and colorful plastic buttons and beads for flowers — four bouquets of four flowers each. "I want to make them all different colors. Every flower's different," Aubree said. In all, 12 participants created 28 pieces of cheer for the seniors. Sarah Mayle, volunteer coordinator for United Way of Hancock County, said the agency was thankful for the library's support of the cheer program. "Senior Cheer is a great way for kids to get an introduction into volunteering and giving," she said. "I hope when they made their card or craft, they stop and imagine the smile on the other end, when the senior receives their kind gesture. It really makes a difference." Mayle added that the community has also supported seniors through the program this winter by delivering more than 1,200 pieces of cheer to six care facilities since December. For more information on the project, visit www.liveunitedhancockcounty.org/SeniorCheerProgram Wolf: 419-427-8419