School - Valentines by kids

Kids Make An Extra Valentine's Day Card for Area Hospitals/Hospices and Food & Friends!

A Fun Student Project - Here's How It Works

Every year, children make Valentine’s Day cards. Why not make an extra card for the disadvantaged? I make it easy for you and your class:

I send the school some envelopes.
Each student makes a Valentine’s Day card for their new friend who may be a hospital patient or a client of Food & Friends.
Fedex picks up your box of Valentines.
I deliver the cards to hospitals and other facilities.
The hospitals and facilities distribute the beautiful cards to their patients/residents/clients and staff.

It’s that simple! The students are happy because they shared some love. The teachers are happy because they taught a valuable lesson about empathy. The school is happy that it was able to contribute to the community. The people who get the cards are VERY happy. Everyone is happy!

But, please don’t delay in signing up. We have room for 18 more schools.

How to Sign Up? - It's So Easy!

Just click below to let me know the name of your school or organization, the address, and how many envelopes to send to you. You will receive the envelopes in early January with instructions. So I can order enough envelopes, which take months to print and deliver, please sign up as early as possible. Please remember to encourage your colleagues to join – there are so many hospitals that would love to have cards.

Best Ways for Schools to Organize

Schools have different structures. Here are some ideas how other schools handle this project:

Someone in the school office sends an email to the teachers and then collects the cards and sends them to us in a box with pre-paid mailing label that we provide; or
The faculty advisor to the student government group, student community involvement group, or high school Honor Society has the group members address the elementary or middle school classes to stoke interest, help the teacher on the day the cards are prepared, and retrieve the cards; or
The person that handles community affairs coordinates the teachers and collects and sends the cards to us; or
Teachers manage their class participation themselves; and
For older students, instead of full-class participation, some schools just leave envelopes and art supplies available with a note inviting students to make cards for a great cause.

Who Will Receive the Cards?

We deliver Valentines to hospitals and nursing homes. Because there is so much demand, I am trying to collect as many cards as possible. So, please, spread the word to teachers and schools to encourage them to participate!

Besides hospitals, we deliver to DC-based Food & Friends which delivers meals to seriously ill adults and children living in the DC/MD/VA area, along with their families and caregivers. Last year they prepared and home-delivered 1.6 million healthy meals with the help of over 4,000 volunteers! Food & Friends is built on a single premise: anyone can get sick and everyone can help.

Who is Organizing This?

My name is Patrick Kaufmann and I am an eleventh-grader at the Washington International School in DC.

2025 is my fifth year on this project and I hope that the neighborhood schools will join me.

Will you join the fun?