Pen pals are sometimes separated not by miles but by generations. Such is the case with the Senior Pen Pals Project organized by Interact Clubs at several local high schools.

Interact members in the Fremont Union, Mountain View-Los Altos and Palo Alto high school districts wrote letters and sent emails to patients at Seasons Hospice in San Jose and Heartland Hospice in Santa Clara who are unable to receive visitors during the COVID – 19 quarantine.

“Since the senior citizens in our community are the most vulnerable during this time of COVID-19, we decided to create cards to brighten up their days,” said Shreya Udupa, a member of the Interact Club at Lynbrook High School in West San Jose. “During this time of chaos and distress, I realized that one of the best ways to give back was to make these feel-good cards for senior citizens.”

Cupertino Rotary donated funds to Interact Clubs for this project. Interact is Rotary’s high school service arm.

Charlize Nguyen, director of the Mountain View and Palo Alto area Rotary clubs, said the pen pal project “epitomizes Interactors’ endearing passion for uplifting our community, especially in times of crisis.

This project provided not only a platform to promote our mission of service, but also an opportunity to unify Interactors after an eventful school year,” Nguyen added.