Through AARP’s Wish of a Lifetime, volunteers get together to be a part of the ‘Cupid Crew’ which delivers roses and valentines to seniors in their community.
“Our office in Butte has been doing this for several years. The volunteer coordinator there told me that she delivered a rose to someone who said that it had been 50 years since she received a valentine,” said Dana Hueth, the volunteer coordinator at Stillwater Hospice.
AARP’s ‘Wish of a Lifetime’ initiative aims to help isolated seniors feel seen and cared for.
“We want to bring hope and joy to older adults all throughout the U.S., and we’ve been able to do so in all 50 states. What we see is every single wish represents a really special story and unique connection, and we've been able to tell a lot of really amazing stories in our last 15 years,” explained Jared Bloomfield, director of the field program.
The smiles and gratitude on the seniors’ faces when they received their roses is what the day was all about.
“This is all about the people we deliver to finding that they are loved, you know, and we just share that with these little things, but it makes a big difference,” said Hueth.
This is Stillwater Hospice in Great Falls’ first time participating in Cupid Crew, and they plan to continue this program for years to come.
Hueth said, “We have several patients, quite a number of patients, and we're delivering to them and their families. A lot of times the people who are caring for someone get forgotten and so we're delivering to those people. We're also delivering roses to every facility that we work with.”
“We’re delivering 241,000 roses today, including thousands in Montana, and we're delivering more than 100,000 cards, so total, it's about 350,000 people that are being impacted by the Cupid Crew all around the country,” said Bloomfield.
Stillwater Hospice delivered more than 400 roses to each of the facilities they work with in Great Falls, putting smiles on hundreds of seniors’ faces.
