Become a youth pen pal writer
with Smiles for Seniors
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Are you ready to take action and help us combat the negative effects of social isolation on seniors? Do you want to create a long lasting relationship with a senior buddy? Or maybe you would prefer to send a letter to a senior once, and remain unattached? Either way, we have you covered! As long as you have a commitment to being compassionate, hopeful, and friendly, you can apply to become a pen pal letter writer for a senior in a long term care home, to help them feel a little less lonely than they may feel.
The Step by Step Process of Making and Sending Your Pen Pal Letters
Below are the steps to get involved and become a pen pal letter writer for a senior at a retirement or long term care home. This includes how to register as a participant of our program, letter logistics, logging volunteer hours, and more!
1. Apply to be a pen pal letter writer
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This is a simple application for us to get to know you a bit better! It should not require a lot of time
and effort. We will either select you or put you on a waiting list to write letters in the future, once we have more senior participants. We have different application periods, and are currently accepting volunteer applications! Currently, we ARE NOT accepting applications but will open applications again once we find more senior residents interested in our program.
2. Receive an email
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Provided that you have been accepted to be a pen pal letter writer, Smiles for Seniors will send you an email containing more information, regarding the name of your senior pen pal buddy, how to address the letter, and what address to send your letter to. Once it reaches its destination, it will be screened, to ensure there are no inappropriate comments, before being sent to the long term care home.
4. Address and mail your letter
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Once the letter is ready to be sent off, it should be placed in an envelope. The front of the envelope the should have the following:
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a) The full recipient's address that we email you in step 2 belongs front and centre
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b) Your address (return address) should be on the top left corner
c) Postal stamp belongs on the top right corner in order for the letter to be mailed
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It should appear in the following format, which you can use as a reference to address your letter:
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*Note, all information in brackets will be provided to you through email*
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5. Log your volunteer hours
We offer 1 volunteer hour per letter you send. If you are in highschool in Ontario, you may use these hours towards completing your 40 mandatory volunteer hours needed for graduation. Log your hours accurately, as we will be keeping record of how many letters you send. When you log your hours online, an email will be sent to a supervisor who will need to "approve" of them. The supervisor's contact information will be emailed to you.
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If you need a letter of confirmation instead, we can accommodate!
3. Write your letter
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The letter can be written on a card, or a folded piece of blank paper
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The letter should avoid any use of harsh or explicit words​ (ie. curse words)
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Religion and political views should be excluded from the letter, as we would like it to be an open space for your pen pal buddy
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Try to avoid spelling and grammar errors if possible
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Do not include confidential or extended amounts of personal information
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Hand written letters are preferred
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Please write the letter in a large, neat font
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Feel free to contact us if you need assistance writing the letter or have any questions
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Stay optimistic with your pen pal buddy (demonstrate compassion, hope, and friendship)
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If you have extra space, you can decorate the letter and envelope with various colourful drawings!
6. Follow Up
If you sent a letter in hopes of receiving a response from a senior pen pal, remember to have patience as the senior writes and sends their response. Once you receive their letter, you can then repeat the process and send them another follow up letter. This exchange can go on for as long as both the senior and you are content as pen pal buddies. When you would like to stop the exchange, please reach out to us, as we will be able to find someone on the waiting list to replace your role in the exchange.
Sample Letters!
If you have been accepted as a pen pal writer, check out the letters to the write which are examples of the kinds of letters you will have the opportunity to write! Reach out to us if you would like any help with content for your letters.
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