AMBA brings smiles and joy to isolated and lonely older people.

May 1, 2024

AMBA Call Center team members recently gathered in a conference room for a unique get-together. Normally, AMBA Call Center representatives are busy helping people sign up for important insurance benefits. On this occasion, however, the civic-minded AMBA team met up to do something just as valuable: to volunteer in a letter-writing drive for a non-profit called Letters Against Isolation.

Sisters Shreya and Saffron Patel are the founders of Letters Against Isolation. They had the idea in April 2020, when they were no longer able to visit their grandmother in her nursing home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sisters regularly sent flowers and cards to their grandmother, and they noticed how much her mood improved when she received them. Realizing that other older Americans in care centers might feel lonely and isolated, the sisters started Letters Against Isolation.

Shreya, who was only 18 then (Saffron was 16), contacted a few local nursing homes, hoping one would respond and request a handful of cards. To their surprise, the sisters were overwhelmed by many nursing homes' enthusiastic requests to sign on.  

The sisters knew they couldn’t accomplish all the work alone, so they found a network of volunteers. Today, Letters Against Isolation has sent thousands of cards and partnered with dozens of care centers across the country - and the world.

The AMBA Team Does Their Part

When the AMBA Call Center team learned about Letters Against Isolation, they were eager to do their part. At the office, they gathered in a conference room. They were provided stationery, ink pens, colored pencils, cardstock, magic markers, crayons, and stickers. The group was encouraged to be creative. They could write letters, create art, and compose poetry filled with positivity and encouragement.

“We loved rolling up our sleeves, doing good, and having a good time!” gushed one AMBA employee. The whole team was eager to decorate and personalize our letters. We all worked together to show people that AMBA is here, thinking of them and that we care.”

The AMBA team composed dozens of letters. Though there were many different types of correspondence, all the letters were filled with compassion, empathy, and thoughtfulness. Importantly, these letters can have a lasting positive impact on the recipients. As Saffron once said, “It’s important to tell people we’re thinking of them.”

Hosting group events is an excellent way to reach people in need and fight loneliness and isolation. If you’re interested in setting up a volunteer group event with Letters Against Isolation, visit www.lettersagainstisolation.com. You can also contact lai.stationeryexchangecoordinator@gmail.com for supplies for your group event and lai.stamp.fund@gmail.comfor help with postage costs.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/06/25/two-sisters-wanted-lift-lonely-seniors-spirits-their-organization-has-sent-14000-letters/

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