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Greeting Card Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions

Card Guidelines

  • We welcome cards that are store bought or hand crafted
  • Every day "thinking of you" type cards and holiday cards are all welcome.
  • We are unable to use cards such as birthday, anniversary, get well, thank you, or congratulations. We do not have personal information on residents in the communities to properly use these cards.  If we do receive them, they are donated to senior communities, but due to a large quantity of these types of cards being received, we ask that you refrain from sending those.  
  • New Process for our Card Angels who write messages in their cards and are willing to send to senior communities directly:   
  • When you have a batch of cards ready, please email us at info@bringsmilestoseniors.com and let us know the quantity. If you send cards to Michigan email diane@bringsmilestoseniors.com.
  • We will determine which community is next on our list that matches your quantity and provide you the contact information, along with the letter that we send to the communities with the cards.  
  • We will record your donation as usual and add your card totals to our tier tracking.                                                                    
  • Cards sent to our Michigan address are delivered to senior communities in the state of Michigan only. These cards should be sent to Bring Smiles to Seniors, PO Box 195, Williamston, MI 48895
  • Cards to be delivered to the remaining 49 states should be delivered to:

     

    Diana Darnell (West)

    Bring Smiles to Seniors, Inc.

    PO Box 970

    Veneta, OR 97487

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    Bring Smiles to Seniors

    PO Box 226

    Odessa, FL 33556

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  • There is no size requirement although most cards that we receive are A2 size, which are ideal for mailing. 

  • Envelopes are appreciated. We do keep a supply of envelopes on hand for those that are received without them. 

  • Senior communities have requested that we not send cards with glitter that falls off of the card as it can interfere with machines and certain medical conditions. Glitter pens that adhere to the card are okay. 

  • Please include your email address in the package so that we can acknowledge receipt of your cards. 

  • Cards should be sent to us in bulk in a package unless you are sending a single card. We then send to senior communities activities directors who distribute the cards for us. 

  • If you would like to write to a senior directly, see last section below. 

  • If you have a senior community that you would like to be added to our mailing rotation, please email us at jill@bringsmilestoseniors.com with the community name, phone number and number of residents if known and we will make contact with the community. 

  • If you are writing messages in your cards, please sign your first name and state. Seniors like to know the name of the person sending and where they are from. Cards with messages are welcome and preferred so they can go into our delivery rotations immediately. 

  • Please do not place the cards in the envelopes.  They should be tucked under the flap of the envelope. 

  • We send to Veteran senior communities across the country ,so Veteran cards are welcome. 

Mailing Deadlines

Given that we deliver all throughout the year, cards are accepted any time. For holidays, cards with messages inside that are ready for delivery must be received at least three weeks prior to the holiday. Cards that are blank inside that need messages added to them are needed at least five weeks prior to a holiday. We take the last two weeks of the year off to be with our families for the holidays. Any cards received after those cut off times are held for the holiday the following year. In addition, you are welcome to send any holiday card throughout the year as we store them until the next holiday.  

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

  • Our program is staffed by unpaid volunteers. So all donations made to our organization go directly to supporting our mission. 

  • We welcome donations for postage or postage stamps as we are solely funded by donations. Donations may be made by clicking the donation page on this site, on our Facebook Page, or by check made out to Bring Smiles to Seniors sent to P.O. Box 226 Odessa FL 33556.

  • Receipts for cards are provided at the end of the year for tax purposes unless specifically requested upon receipt. 

  • Our main program is in Florida, where we handle forty-nine of the fifty states. Our program in Michigan handles all senior communities in Michigan.

  • We currently only deliver to senior communities in the United States along with several participants in the United Kingdom. 

Private Groups

We have created two private groups under our main Facebook page. A group for card makers and a group for those that like to mail directly to seniors. Both require answering a few questions and agreeing to the group rules. 

  • The Bring Smiles to Seniors group is a place for card makers across the country to share ideas, supplies and support each other in their card making endeavors. In this group you can learn new techniques, get inspired by others work and even share supplies. The group does fun virtual events that keep you excited and engaged as you work on your craft. 

  • The Lola's Smile Bunch group is a private group where seniors or their family members have requested cards be sent to seniors at home or in their senior community. Seniors can only be added with the permission of the senior or a family member and you must ask to join the group and provide the required information to be admitted. This groups sends tens of thousands of cards to seniors each year. 

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