Gurwin Residents Receive Valentine's Day Cards From LI Girl Scouts

COMMACK, NY — Residents of Commack's Gurwin Healthcare Nursing & Rehabilitation Center received 330 Valentine's Day cards from Islip Girl Scouts and students, according to a news release.

The decorated cards were filled with inspirational words, kind thoughts, and heartfelt wishes. Cupid Crew Wish of a Lifetime, Islip's Suffolk County Girl Scout Service Unit #44 and art students from Maud S Sherwood Elementary School teamed up to brighten seniors' days.

“Last year, we learned about the Cupid Crew campaign too late to participate,” said Suffolk County Girl Scout Service Unit #44 leader Tobie Ancipink. “This year, we made sure our scouts were ready.”

Cupid Crew is a volunteer-driven effort to safely create and deliver heartfelt Valentine’s Day cards to older adults who may be socially isolated. It empowers thousands of volunteers across the country to reach out to older adults, creating connections and sending messages of love, hope and kindness.

"We first heard of Gurwin when we saw their annual calendar that is a combination of photography of their assisted living residents and their advice for the next generation," Ancipink said. “Their words inspired us.”

Ancipink says her troop of Scouts was excited to participate, but when they found out Gurwin would need more than 300 cards to share with the residents, she worried they wouldn’t be able to do it. Then inspiration struck: they reached out to Melissa Trocchio-Cohen, art instructor at Maud S. Sherwood Elementary in Islip, where some of the Scouts are students. Trocchio-Cohen was eager to help.

"It was good to know we would be making people happy," said Ancipink’s daughter, Tillie, a fifth-grader at Sherwood. "We all worked hard because we knew we could make a difference in someone’s day."

From the combined effort, more than 330 cards were delivered to Gurwin for Valentine’s Day, just in time to bring a smile to the residents of the two Gurwin communities.

“We are so grateful to these young ladies and their troop leaders for selflessly thinking of our residents on a day that can be as sad and isolating and it can be happy and joyful,” said Stuart B. Almer, CEO of Gurwin Healthcare System. “This kind of community involvement is what helps us bring happiness to our residents each day.”