Make everyone feel special on Valentine's Day!

by Linda Gunter
(Lavonia, Georgia)

Here's what we do to make everyone feel special on Valentine's Day!

I volunteer with an after school program at a housing authority in Georgia. I work with less than fortunate middle school and high school girls every Monday.


We teach everything they do not learn at home or in school from cooking to budgeting to how to double a recipe or even substitute an ingredient in case they don't have one of the items in the recipe.


We also teach topics like:

• How to plan events like dinner parties.
• How to set the table, manners, how to make a grocery list.
  
• How to shop to get the biggest bang for your buck.

Every time we cook, make a meal or whatever we have created we SHARE! Nothing like seeing girls who don't have much take what THEY have made and share with others!


This year for Valentines Day we are making goody bags to share with 3 friends on the Monday before Valentine's day.


We will bake the cookies and make and decorate the cupcakes. We have some cool headbands, school supplies and fun socks to put in the bags, too.


However, even more fun than that, we will then drive about 20 minutes on the Friday before Valentine's Day to decorate the doors of each resident in an assisted living home to tell them that Jesus loves them and we want to wish them a Happy valentines day.


We will also leave behind in addition to our handmade door creations, diffusers, chocolate roses, live roses in vases and LOTS of hugs and kisses!


There are 29 residents. We did this for the first time last year, and I really can not tell you who had the most fun - the girls, the residents, or the residents staff who were snitching cookies and chocolate! It is a blast!


Linda Gunter


PS I'm not sure how to add a picture but I am sure my girls can show me how so I will send one next Monday if that's ok.

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Hi Linda,

Absolutely LOVE what you all are doing to make everyone feel special on Valentine's Day. I work with the underprivileged and visit our local nursing home weekly, too, so I know exactly what you're talking about and the kind of response you'll be getting.


It's all really priceless, isn't it? :)


I look forward to seeing the photos, so do send them along. You won't be able to add them to the page yourself since you've already submitted, but if you send them to my email address angie (at) chocolate-candy-mallcom, I'll add them to this page for you. :)


Blessings on you, the other volunteers, and all your girls. Happy Valentine's Day!

Angie