Heritage Pointe of Huntington senior living community in Huntington, Indiana, received Christmas cards, potentially from as far away as the Netherlands, Austria, and Germany.
G. Michael Eldridge, a consultant pharmacist with Omnicare, which works with Heritage Pointe of Huntington, is a benevolent and musical soul. In 2017, the acapella hymnal musician launched a social media site, Acapeldridge. Through it, he encouraged hundreds of followers, to send signed Christmas cards to share with residents of senior living communities such as Heritage Pointe of Huntington. “It may come as no surprise to you that the same kind of people who enjoy listening to hymns are the same people who enjoy sending out Christmas cards every year. I decided to harness the power of this benevolent following in 2020 when the strain of social isolation was perhaps at its highest, and the response was tremendous. Volunteers messaged me from across the world and loved the opportunity to reach out and cheer up someone’s day, even someone they would never meet,” he said.
Michael takes joy in sharing the Christmas cards collected, saying he tries to make sure that there are enough for every resident to receive two. Because the cards are often postmarked and stamped and sometimes have written messages, recipients can see their point of origin, which is frequently far away and exotic.
The distribution is eagerly anticipated by the residents of Heritage Pointe of Huntington. “They love being thought of in this way. It brings lots of smiles!” said Jodie Stanley, executive director and administrator.” It’s the perfect culmination of the month-long holiday festivities at the active and engaging retirement community.
