Seniors Receive 6,000 Handwritten Letters from High Schoolers

In a world dominated by social media, texting and endless emails, good old-fashioned handwritten letters are bringing hope and joy to seniors served by nonprofit Age Well Senior Services of Lake Forest. These seniors have largely been isolated at home because of COVID-19 precautions.

The letters are all the more remarkable because they are being penned by south Orange County teens who have been inspired by Laguna Hills High School senior Liam Fellows.

Liam got the idea to write letters to seniors when he was helping his mom, Tiffany Fellows, donate some of his beloved grandmother’s belongings to the Florence Sylvester Senior Center in Laguna Hills after she died last year.

“After my grandmother moved in with us because of the pandemic, I became extra close to her and saw how much joy my brothers and I brought to her,” said Liam. As he mourned her passing, Liam said his thoughts turned to other seniors unable to see family and friends. He hoped the letter-writing program would convey messages of friendship, hope and love and would remind them they are not forgotten.

Liam and Tiffany talked to the center’s director about the project and arranged a plan of action. To encourage other students to help out, the 18-year-old started the Local Smiles for Seniors Letter Writing Project and then shared it with his LionsHeart Teen Service Group and also with the Laguna Hills High School Kindness Club, where he is a member.

Every week since the program began last September, the teens have written letters to the 200 seniors receiving Meals on Wheels deliveries through the program run by Age Well at Florence Sylvester center.

The students’ missives read like pages in a daily journal, touching on classroom lessons, tests, sports, families, movies, music, pets, college plans, friends and COVID-19. The day-to-day issues that occupy teenaged minds. They are often decorated with artwork and have colorful hand-drawn mastheads and borders. Many have large letters written in bright colors so that aging eyes can easily read them.

“We wanted each senior to have a new letter each week,” said Liam. Since the project began, they have written and dropped off more than six thousand letters.

To the surprise of the high school students, many seniors started writing back, thanking them for lifting their spirits. Many of the letters give advice and share wisdom, just as a grandparent would.

Said Age Well’s CEO Steve Moyer, “It has been a long and lonely year for our seniors. We are so thankful that Liam has shared the love and memory of his grandmother in such a positive and personal way. More than 6,000 letters! The joy, the hope and smiles are immeasurable.”

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About Age Well Senior Services

Established in 1975, Age Well Senior Services, is a nonprofit public benefit 501 (C)(3) organization headquartered in Lake Forest, California. Age Well relies on contributions to provide vital services, resources, and programs to homebound and low-income seniors living in 21 cities located in South Orange County. More information is available at www.myagewell.org