Oakland Press feature 2.7.2010

Boutique collects valentines for local seniors

By SHARON MacDONELL
Special to The Oakland Press

You could call it the Michigan Blues. The two cold, gray months following festive December are pretty dreary for most people.

And
for those who are infirm or lonely, it can be a cheerless time of year.
That’s certainly true for the 90 residents at Sunrise Assisted Living
in Rochester.

“Generally after the holidays, everyone is on a
downer,” said Cecilia Mrock, activities and volunteer coordinator at
Sunrise. “Michigan weather doesn’t help, either. Many of the residents
choose not to go out because of the ice and the snow, so we do less
outdoor trips this time of year. They are more confined.”

That
was all the motivation April McCrumb needed. The owner of the fanciful
Catching Fireflies gift boutiques in Berkley and Rochester dreamed up a
plan to bring needed cheer to local seniors. She’s calling it the
“Share Some Love” project.

“If people like our store, then they
definitely have a creative flair, so I thought it would be neat if they
could make handmade valentine’s cards, and we would collect them and in
return pass them out to some local seniors in assisted living homes,”
McCrumb said.

When customers bring in three handmade cards to either Catching Fireflies location and make a purchase, they receive a gift.

“We’re
giving them a little photo magnet that reads, ‘The heart that gives,
gathers,’ which sort of affirms what they’re doing and thanks them for
taking the time to help us make a difference,” McCrumb said.

The
Berkley store has already received dozens of handmade Valentine’s Day
cards. Some are painstakingly elaborate, with 3-D hearts or photos of
the crafters’ pets. But volunteers don’t have to wield a glue gun to
get involved.

Helen Harding of Berkley opted to download
valentine coloring pages from the Catching Fireflies Web site. Harding
and her two children colored three of the posters and returned them to
the store.

“My mom said that it is for elderly people and I thought it would be nice to do it,” said Harding’s 8-year-old daughter, Haley.

For many who have participated already, it’s about more than getting a prize in return.

“We did not do it for the gift,” Harding said. “I just wanted my kids to be involved in doing something special.”

Haley had her heart in the right place.

“When I gave it to the person at the counter, it made me feel good, giving something that I took my time on,” she said.

McCrumb says this is not the first time her store has brought out the charitable spirit in its customers.

“At
a holiday open house we had last year, if you brought three or more
canned goods, you could pick out any ornament in the store valued at
$9.95 or less,” she said. From that event, Catching Fireflies donated
400 pounds of food to a local food pantry.

“We’re all about
making people’s days brighter and thinking about how we can take that
attitude out beyond our doors and make a difference in our community,”
McCrumb said.

Catching Fireflies is accepting handmade cards at
its two locations through Thursday. Mrock is looking forward to
receiving the cards for the seniors at Sunrise the next day.

“For
our residents, having somebody in the community reach out to them and
brighten up their days with the valentines is really going to be a
great thing,” she said. “I think they’re really going to enjoy it.”