Knoch senior helps keep the season bright for older residents
A program that was created during the loneliness of the coronavirus pandemic has blossomed into a project that brings Christmas cheer to senior citizens while teaching youngsters the reason for the season.
Laurel Hull, a Knoch High School senior, came up with the idea of delivering Christmas cards to senior living residents in the area after visiting her 94-year-old great-grandmother through a window in 2020.
“I started brainstorming ways that I could bring holiday cheer to the nursing homes without a risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus,” said Laurel.
In the program, her younger classmates at Knoch and students at Connoquenessing Elementary School in the Butler Area School District create handmade holiday cards and sign them “Santa’s Sidekick,” which is the name of the program.
In 2020, she had 40 cards, which she delivered to the UPMC Passavant Cumberland Crossing independent living near UPMC Passavant Hospital in McCandless Township, Allegheny County.
The program continued to expand each year since then, and Connoquenessing Elementary was added last year, which enabled Laurel to deliver 230 cards to seniors at Concordia in Cabot and Cumberland Crossing.
This year, the Santa’s Sidekick program will deliver 706 cards to seniors at Concordia and Cumberland Crossing.
David Foley, Knoch School District superintendent, said he appreciates Laurel’s work at a busy time of year to cheer local senior citizens.
"I think it is great that Laurel took the initiative to reach out to people who need a boost at the holidays, and it is terrific that our students kicked in to help," Foley said.
