Pennsylvania High Schooler's Nonprofit Cheering Up Seniors to Fight Isolation During Pandemic

PAOLI, Pa., April 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 15-year-old sophomore from Conestoga High School, Berwyn, Chester County, Pennsylvania is running a project for her 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Brighten A Day (https://brightenaday.weebly.com), to cheer up nursing home residents during the coronavirus pandemic. Nursing homes throughout the United States are limiting seniors' interaction within the building and visitors are also prohibited, causing feelings of loneliness and isolation for many residents. To cheer seniors up and let them know that the community cares about them during this difficult time, she is sending uplifting handwritten notes and packs containing a puzzle book, a coloring book, and colored pencils. She has already reached seven nursing homes in Chester County, PA with self-funding and donations, and would like to let more people know about her project so that she can uplift more seniors. Photos of the project can be found at https://drive.google.com/open?id=1KXd3IN-Y-Ue-7HlhO0kNLYAF0VLCbUbL.

Seniors are at a higher risk of contracting the coronavirus and show more severe symptoms. Nursing homes throughout the United States are not allowing visitors and interaction within the building, causing boredom, isolation, and anxiety for many residents - and multiple studies have shown that mental health can have an impact on physical health.

Hita Gupta, a 15-year-old from Pennsylvania, has made it her mission to help nursing home residents feel less isolated. She said, "I've had many valuable experiences during my volunteering at a retirement home since freshman year. It saddens me to think of how lonely or depressed many nursing home residents feel because they cannot see their loved ones." After she learned that she was not allowed to volunteer at the nursing home anymore, she decided to find a way to make the residents there less lonely.

Hita said, "During this uncertain time which is causing panic for many seniors, it's our responsibility to let them know that they are not being forgotten." That is why she recently started sending packs of gifts to nursing homes using self-funding. Now, she has sent packs of gifts for residents at seven local nursing homes. Each pack contains one puzzle book, one coloring book, and one pack of colored pencils. It also contains an uplifting note written by her 9 year old brother. Hita hopes these gifts will keep seniors occupied while they cannot see loved ones.

Hita founded Brighten A Day to lift the spirits of those who are in need of some cheer by sending them love, hope, and joy through cards and gifts. In the past, it reached more than 2,000 kids and seniors in 35 hospitals and nursing homes in seven different states with handmade cards on holidays like Christmas and Valentine's Day. It has also sent school supplies and cards to orphanages in India.

Hita says, "If I raise more money, I will be able to help many more nursing home residents from feeling lonely or isolated while they are unable to see loved ones."

You can help support Hita's project by donating through GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-elderly-at-nursing-homes-fight-coronavirus or through PayPal at https://brightenaday.weebly.com/donate.html.

More information about the project can be found at https://brightenaday.weebly.com/covid-19.html.

Media contact:
Brighten A Day
[email protected] 
281-928-5254

SOURCE Brighten A Day