Warren Teen Pens Coronavirus Letter Writing Campaign For Seniors

WARREN, NJ — Warren teen and Watchung Hills Regional High School freshman Alexandra (Lexi) Jacobson rallied more than 80 classmates and friends to pen letters to seniors quarantined at The Chelsea in Warren amid the coronavirus.

Jacobson is very close to her grandparents and normally visits them daily. Due to the quarantine she had to stop visits and instead calls everyday.

"But that got me thinking about the people who had no family visiting them or calling them at the nursing homes. Being home is difficult but I couldn't imagine going through this without the support of my family and friends," Jacobson said. "So I decided to do something to support the nursing home patients. I thought that if we all wrote them letters it would show the residents that the community is here for them and is supporting them."

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She organized a group of more than 80 people to write letters for all of the staff and residents (about 75 people) at The Chelsea at 274 King George Rd. Each letter had kind messages, inspirational quotes, poems, jokes, or even activities such as how to play card games, or recipes to make at home. The letters were decorated and left in each person's mailbox in a plastic baggy.

Jacobson along with her mom Tamara drove around for hours to all of the houses to collect the cards. Jacobson even received letters from people as far away as New York, Pennsylvania, and California.

The letters were delivered two weeks ago and Jacobson has since received a call from The Chelsea expressing their gratitude.

"It feels amazing to know that I organized something that brings others joy and can bring a smile to someone face during this time," Jacobson said.

The nursing home letter writing campaign is still ongoing and anyone who would like to participate can contact Jacobson at lexijacobson@icloud.com. Participants can create letters, poems, or even activities for the nursing homes.

"The community has been amazing and has really united to support each other. I'm so happy to know that I can to help others to get through these times," Jacobson said. "My goal is to get as many people involved as possible and show nursing home patients all across the state that NJ is here to support them."

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