An artful lift for the quarantined

The Grafton Area Chamber of Commerce is organizing a campaign to help older adults and disabled residents living in local long-term care facilities to not feel alone during the coronavirus outbreak.

“We were trying to come up with ideas to bring this community together, to get different age groups involved during this pandemic,” said Annalise Jasinski, the Chamber’s special events and tourism promotion coordinator.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, residents of long-term care facilities are being quarantined to prevent the spread of the virus. Letters of encouragement and artwork created by area residents are being sent to Anita’s Gardens, Magnolia Hill, Providence Place, Rosewood Manor and Village Pointe Commons.

“There’s nothing better than getting a letter and a piece of artwork in the mail,” Jasinski said.

“Since the residents are on lockdown, we’ve been seeing photos of people sitting at their window and talking outside to others or hanging posters outside their window.” 

The campaign, which is called GraftonTogetherArt, started at the end of March and has resulted in hundreds of messages and pieces of art from community members, children and their parents being sent to care facilities.

“I’ve noticed it’s a broad age group of people writing letters and producing art, which is really exciting,” Jasinski said. “Whether it’s a handmade card or coloring a picture, everyone is getting involved in their age-specific ways.”

To encourage children to join the cause, Jasinski created coloring pages depicting notable Grafton landmarks such as the Grafton Hotel and Lime Kiln Park.

“Our thought is that this could be a great way to brighten their days and to let them know that there are people who care about them,” Chamber Executive Director Pam King said.

Jasinski said the goal is to have every resident receive a message. 

“I’m not sure if that will be a realistic goal, but I’ve heard a couple people say they want to write letters to every single resident in each home, which would be hundreds upon hundreds of letters,” she said. “There’s been a lot of encouraging messages.

“People are saying, ‘We’re here for you and thinking of you.’ They’re trying to make them feel less alone because the residents are used to being able to leave their room and now they can’t even see their family and friends.”

Since the cause was launched, the messages and artwork have gone viral on social media. Jasinski suggests people who post their pictures on Facebook use the hashtag #GraftonTogether so more people can be encouraged to help.

“I’ve seen a lot of heartfelt messages and amazing creations of art posted online,” Jasinski said.

“This has been really well received, and it’s great seeing our whole community coming together during this time.”