By William Meiners
Herald Staff Writer
[private]A new tradition at Alma High School, rooted in the realities of the pandemic two years ago, is spreading joy to young and old alike. On Monday, students from the National Honor Society delivered homemade Christmas cards to residents at Arbor Grove Assisted Living and Memory Care.
Kristina Eggenberger, a longtime Alma teacher and advisor to the National Honor Society, said students had trouble finding a group project as so many businesses and events shut down in late 2020 with the winter resurgence of COVID-19. In a creative move, someone suggested they spend a Saturday on Zoom, making Christmas cards together.
“We played Christmas trivia and had a great time,” Eggenberger said. “When I asked what event we should do after the pandemic, they all said we should do it again in person,”
The Alma chapter of the National Honor Society, which currently has 40 members, requires these juniors and seniors to perform 20 community service hours every school year. Six of those hours, Eggenberger said, should be connected to an event. The remaining hours could be done at a church or another nonprofit.
Last Saturday, 20 Alma students gathered for cookies, hot cocoa, and some festive cardmaking. Eggenberger reported that she had kids volunteering at the Jingle Bell Run and others helping with Toys for Tots events. So the event options were plenty in what seems like a post-pandemic world.
“Our first goal is to make enough Christmas cards, so every resident of Arbor Grove gets one,” said Eggenberger, who described those residents as “good neighbors” who typically turn out with snacks for the first day of school, as well as signs for Homecoming and certain sporting events.
Indeed, Mandie Raglin, executive director of Arbor Tree, said those neighborly relationships go back years on Pine Avenue. “The high school does a program where kids come over to volunteer,” she said. “And we have a few residents who had been school teachers in Alma for years.”
One of those student volunteers, in fact, eventually applied for and accepted a job at Arbor Tree. Those beneficial relationships are seemingly a two-way street.
Raglin also said the Arbor Tree folks are thrilled to get the Christmas cards, which are marked for special delivery along with cinnamon rolls from the Hearthstone Oven on Christmas morning. “The residents are always so thankful,” she said. “They especially appreciate anything homemade.”
Student representatives delivered more than 100 cards to Arbor Grove this week. Extra cards, Eggenberger said, will be sent to Masonic Pathways “for anyone who needs a little more cheer this time of year.”
Raglin said it can be a tough time of year, especially for residents who have lost other loved ones or may not see family through the holidays. In a Christmas week of parties planned, each Arbor Tree employee will give a gift to one resident. The holiday cards, which are simply thoughtful well wishes, could prove to be a Sunday morning boost for anyone who has lived through many seasons.
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