GREAT KIDS: 15-year-old writes letters and birthday cards to brighten a few seniors citizens’ days

(WFSB) - A 15-year-old Granby Memorial High School student is bringing back the art of writing letters and making birthday cards for senior citizens.

It’s an idea James Crocker thought of just prior to the pandemic, and now he’s turned into his passion.

“It’s been really nice such a simple thing just writing a letter,” said James. “It’s maybe 10 minutes out of your day, and it makes a huge impact.”

It is all part of his letters to our Elders Club he created in 2019 after visiting a nursing home.

“I realized there were no visitors,” said James. “There were no family members celebrating their birthday parties.”

James did some research, and he found some letter writing organizations online along with volunteering for one.

“That really got me thinking. I could do this in Connecticut, because I was looking around in Hartford County and there really wasn’t any kind of organization like that,” said James.

He created his own, and his parents bare the cost and support him 100 percent.

His dad Rob Crocker said, “what he wants to do with this and where he’s going with this, it’s an incredibly good thing.”

James writes as much as 30 up to 60 birthday cards a month.

As much as James enjoys making the cards, he takes his passion one step further by delivering them in person.

At Hoffman-Summerwood assisted living in West Hartford, James delivered some of the cards.

“Seeing the joy that it gives off, that’s what I get out of it,” said James.

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