"Letters to Our Elders" Pen Pal Program
September 22, 2020 Amanda Koba, Staff Writer
Quarantine has kept friends from seeing one another, families feeling isolated and, oftentimes, left some feeling lonely. A group that has been hit especially hard by this are the elderly in assisted living. With the inability to talk to and visit with those living outside of their communities, a Sonoma State University alumni has created a pen pal program to help local senior citizens reach out beyond their small bubble.Alumni Kate Fericanano Kelly started Letters to Our Elders as a way for seniors of Sonoma and Napa county to talk to others outside of their living facilities. The program has five residential homes spanning across Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, and Napa.
COVID-19 restrictions have kept senior citizens inside and kept everyone else out. The regulations have forced older residents to isolate in their room, kept them from having any type visitors, ensured they aren’t mingling with one another, and even restricted things as simple as a trip outside.
The inability to have family visits or have a meal with other residents has impacted many senior citizens. Cedrick Beebe, one of the seniors in the program, said the pandemic “disrupted our lives here.”
Kelly’s long relationship with volunteering with the eldery had helped her find a way to continue working with them without physically being there.
This volunteer based program that Kelly has created was described as, “...a small project that I have created for people of all ages to connect with seniors who live in assisted living homes throughout Sonoma and Napa counties. The goal of the project is to alleviate some of the loneliness caused by social isolation during this pandemic.”
Currently, Letters to Our Elders has 50 participants. The writers of this small project have been found by word of mouth. Kelly said, “When we start getting more elderly residents than we have writers, I plan to post on sites like Craigslist and Nextdoor to generate interest.”
The ages of pen pals vary from six years old to 98. The individuals who are a part of this program are not solely California residents. Kelly said there are writers from multiple states, as well as even another country.
Participants are asked to send one letter a month until the end of the year as a minimum but most hope to continue writing after this. Often, writers will introduce themselves, and ask questions for their pen pals to answer . Pictures, drawings, and articles are sometimes included.
When asked about what they would write to their penpal, Beebe said “I will send a sample of my memoir, and talk about my plans for the future.” Cedrick is a 98 year old resident at Arbol Residences of Santa Rosa. He mentioned he would include information of his love of karaoke and chemistry. Beebe said his pen pal sent him pictures of animals that they owned in his first letter he received.
Cara Wasden, a writer in the program, was another individual who has spent her time volunteering with senior citizens for many years. She met Kate at a seniors group in Petaluma, that she hosted where seniors told their life stories.
“No matter what age, we all have to be heard. When you can connect with another human being and share your personal stories, either verbally or written form, it’s a win-win for everyone,” said Wasden
Kelly gave a quote from her grandfather, saying, “The biggest problem in the world is we believed we were separate from one another.”
The Letters to Our Elders took inspiration from her grandfather’s words. Her hopes of connecting the elderly with others to keep them from experiencing loneliness is shown through the letter writing program. If any Seawolves are interested in participating in the program, her email is kfernicano@gmail.com.