"I like volunteering with Letter Angels because it's a really beautiful reminder of how even the smallest things that seem simple to us can make a difference in someone's day."
-Dani
combat patient isolation and loneliness with
Want to Improve the Lives of Hospice Patients? Here Is How You Can...
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Volunteers must be at least 18 years old in order to participate in the Letter Angels pen-pal program
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The Letter Angels pen-pal program requires that volunteers send at least one message (or letter) per week
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After submitting an interest form on the "Contact" page, the Letter Angels staff will match you with a hospice patient enrolled in the program
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The Letter Angels Gmail (listed under the contact page) is used to receive each volunteer’s message every week
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Examples of letters may be found under the "Examples" page found on the main menu bar above
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At the end of each week, the Letter Angels staff reviews the messages to ensure the letters follow the guidelines which are listed below
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After review, the staff then prints the letters and seal them in envelopes to be sent out in the mail to the designated facilities in order to preserve patient confidentiality
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Proper handling precautions are taken to minimize the risk of infection as much as possible
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Hospice patients have the option to send messages back to their pen pal, but it is not required
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If hospice patients choose to send messages back, the messages will be sent to the Letter Angels staff first before being sent to their designated pen-pal volunteer
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The Letter Angels P.O. box information can be provided for volunteers who want to send hand-written letters, pictures, or drawings
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In this case, the Letter Angels staff would re-package the letter in order to review it before sending it to the hospice patient
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Do's and Dont's
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Do: Share stories, get personal, be creative and have fun!
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Did you take up a new hobby like baking bread during quarantine? Write about your tribulations and successes in your newly found hobby!
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Don’t: Request financial resources or talk about controversial topics such as politics, religion, nor anything you would not bring up at a dinner party with your grandparents
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If a controversial or undesired topic is mentioned in the letter, a Letter Angels staff member will kindly request the volunteer to change their letter so that it is appropriate for the hospice patients
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It can be challenging to think of topics especially if the hospice patient you have been matched with does not send letters back, so the staff sends out a monthly example in addition to some topics that you may use in your letters
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If you ever have a question about whether or not a topic is acceptable, the Letter Angels staff is happy to help deem what is and is not appropriate
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