Spread Valentine’s Day Love with Cupid Crew

En español | Volunteers will be out in force around the country to make sure older adults feel loved and connected on Valentine’s Day – and you can help.

For the 11th year, Wish of a Lifetime from AARP will deliver cards and roses to hundreds of thousands of older adults on Feb. 14 through its Cupid Crew network of volunteers. The annual tradition aims to help tackle the nation’s loneliness epidemic, which threatens the health and well-being of millions of people in the U.S.

Since the program began, Cupid Crew volunteers throughout the country have delivered 750,000 cards and roses to older adults at risk of feeling isolated, including many living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Want to join the effort? Simply download a card (or cards), decorate and include a friendly message. Then mail it or drop it off to an older adult in your life or to a nursing home or adult living community near you on Valentine’s Day.

“I encourage everyone to say hello, send a card, deliver a rose or call someone in their neighborhood who is experiencing isolation,” said Tom Wagenlander, executive director of Wish of a Lifetime from AARP. “Your small gesture can have a huge impact on how much love and community they feel.”

Learn more about Cupid Crew and Wish of a Lifetime from AARP, and find more resources to help you or a loved one deal with loneliness and isolation.

Natalie Missakian covers federal and state policy and writes AARP’s Fighting for You Every Day blog. She previously worked as a reporter for the New Haven Register and daily newspapers in Ohio. Her work has also appeared in the AARP Bulletin, the Hartford Business Journal and other publications.