Service project brings joy to residents

“It makes me joyful,” said Doris Kline, a resident of Heritage Pointe of Huntington senior living community. What is it that brings Doris pleasure is bringing happiness to others.

For the past 15 years, Doris has created greeting cards for virtually every occasion and shared them with others. Furthermore, she is doing so by recycling or repurposing greeting cards that would otherwise be thrown away after having been enjoyed by the recipient.

Right after graduating from high school, Doris, now 89, worked in a Huntington-area gift shop. She loved the greeting cards the most of anything in the store. Later, Doris started repurposing greeting cards with the prison ministry at Union Church in Huntington County. The cards were sent to people who were incarcerated.

“We used existing cards people had already sent or received, removed names and other personal information, replacing them with a message and sending them,” she said. The cards shared words of hope, caring and faith.

When she moved to Heritage Pointe of Huntington ten years ago, she brought what is known as her greeting card ministry with her. Doris continues repurposing greeting cards, for birthdays, anniversaries, sympathy, Christmas, Easter and more. She displays the cards at Heritage Pointe of Huntington, and residents, staff, and family members are encouraged to help themselves.

“I give them out for free,” she said. “People always tell me how much they appreciate it.” She also hand-distributes cards. “On Christmas, I gave everyone in the dining room a card,” she said.

Doris continues to create Christmas cards that her church uses in their prison ministry. People who know about her project collect cards and donate them to her.

“People in our community know what I do and bring me cards in bulk,” she said. Doris said that sending cards to someone feeling happy, sad, lonely, unwell or celebratory is a rare thing these days, but it’s meaningful. “If you get a card, which doesn’t happen much anymore, it’s telling you that someone is thinking of you, and that’s a good thing,” she said.

Doris also appreciates the recycling component of her ministry. She looks at it as repurposing the cards for another round of making someone feel good. “It’s taking something that someone would throw away and making something of it.”

“Doris is so giving of her time as she works in her apartment making cards so that others can have them to send to family and friends,” said Brad Fuller, Activities Director. “She is also very active at Heritage Pointe of Huntington as she enjoys church services, parties, music programs and bingo. She’s made friends she enjoys visiting with. Doris has made the absolute best out of her time here at Heritage Pointe of Huntington, and it’s so special that she can also give back to others through her greeting card ministry.”

Heritage Pointe of Huntington is owned and operated by The United Methodist Memorial Home, an Indiana non-profit founded in 1907. To learn more about Heritage Pointe of Huntington, visit www.HeritagePointeOfHuntington.org.