People and children cope differently after life-changing events. There is no right way. Some stick to themselves. Others seek connections and look to help others. That is what Jacob Cramer did when he was 10 years old after his grandfather passed away.
He volunteered at his local senior community in Beachwood. First, he became a friend to many of the residents during bingo games. His biggest impact, Love for Our Elders, would start there.
“It was so much fun. I loved having a microphone,” Cramer says. “I loved the joy that they all omitted, and I wanted to get to know them more.”
Cramer continued to develop those friendships. He found out that one of his friends had not heard from their niece in months, which gave him an idea — one that would lead to thousands of people getting love and attention worldwide.
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“I was like, ‘Gosh, I can write a letter to my friend.’ I did. I surprised her with a letter, and it made her smile. I actually sent a lot of letters during that time to the senior community I was at,” Cramer says. “I was like, ‘I’m going to make a big impact.’ So I sent them to Lemon Grove Senior Center in Lemon Grove, California — and for no particular reason. I just did.”
That impact was smiles. Love for Our Elders is an organization that sends handwritten letters to elders in 27 countries to fight social isolation. Since 2013, more than 750,000 letters have been sent. Now, Cramer is encouraging the next generation of children to learn how to write letters through his book Grandma’s Letter Exchange.
“I remember the first letter that I wrote, and it’s funny,” Cramer says. “I printed off a picture of a heart, glued it to some colored construction paper, and called it a letter. I wrote you’re awesome on the front. It’s wild that it went from that to what it is now.”
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