GREENSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) — At the Newhaven Court senior living facility on Tuesday, people were passing out Valentine’s Day candy, cards and smiles to some very grateful residents.
This love fest was sponsored by Senior Helpers of Greensburg and it was a first for its chapter. This year, the organization set a goal of collecting 1,600 Valentine’s Day cards for local seniors. It reached out to schools, churches and other civic organizations asking people to write a senior a nice note for the holiday, and the response it got back from people not just locally, but from all over the county, was overwhelming.
Over the last few days, Senior Helpers have been giving away nearly 7,000 donated valentines. Heather Wallace, the director of operations for Senior Helpers, couldn’t believe the response.
“I was blown away,” said Wallace. “I was really hoping for 1,600. And when I went to my alma mater, which was Kiski Area, and picked up almost 2,800 cards, I literally teared up and cried because I have been a Pittsburgher my whole life, moved away but always a Pittsburgh girl and came back, and it just goes to show you that Pittsburgh is the greatest city in the world. And everyone is just so involved in the community here and wanting to make our seniors happy.”