Hamden Business Lifting Seniors’ Spirits With Holiday Letter Campaign

HAMDEN, CT — Hamden resident and Massage Envy franchise owner Marianne Axelrod has worked with her team on a mission to write more than 500 letters to seniors this holiday season.

The project is part of the “My Dear Friend” writing campaign with the GlamourGals Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to reducing elder isolation through intergenerational friendships.

Massage Envy will donate $1 to GlamourGals for every My Dear Friend note sent to a senior by Dec. 31, up to $15,000 total, according to a news release.

The team at Massage Envy, located at 2300 Dixwell Ave. in Hamden, mailed out 426 note cards as of last week and planned to have 75 more out in the mail this week, according to Axelrod.

“My manager and I have written dozens,” Axelrod said. “Our team members have also contributed dozens. We involved our clients who have written some of the sweetest notes. One client had her son write 10 notes as a service project for school.”

Axelrod has a personal connection with the letter-writing campaign, as she has worked with the elderly since she was in high school. She also worked as a nurse’s aide in a skilled nursing facility during college.

“In my first career as a dental hygienist, I established and managed a dental program in a skilled nursing facility and worked there for years,” she said. “I have had a special appreciation for the elderly my entire life being surrounded by elderly family members who were so special to me. Our Massage Envy Hamden location's manager, Courtney Council, also has worked in a skilled during facility in the Recreation Therapy Department. She too, witnessed senior loneliness. This campaign just touched us personally. And we were so excited to support it, knowing what a difference these notes would make in someone's life.”

The stationary being used for the notes also has a special connection to Axelrod. Her son “adopted” a homeless woman when he was a college student, and she remained in the family’s life until she passed away in September.

The woman had a stock of cards from her graphic design career, and Axelrod “inherited” her cards after she died.

“We did not know what to do with her note cards,” Axelrod said. “This was just the perfect use of her stationary as she herself suffered from loneliness being a patient in a skilled nursing facility.”

Axelrod said knowing that they could make a difference in someone’s life inspired the team to take part in the letter-writing campaign.

“It really was the feeling of knowing we could do something so simple to make a difference in someone's life,” she said. “We were excited to simply be able to address senior loneliness.”