Homemade Cards For Seniors Australia Needs Handmade Cards

If you’re looking for a new place to donate handmade cards, the Homemade Cards For Seniors Australia group would love for you to contribute to their community.

I know that I typically feature nonprofits or organizations based here in the United States, but that’s because the most of my readers are US-based.

That doesn’t mean that we all don’t need to step outside of our norm though!

Sometimes that adventure is helping someone just a state away, like the Nebraska Kindergarten Scholars hoping you’ll send them Valentines or, it’s filling a need of a ‘neighbor’ in the “Land Down Under”.

Since I have been getting the Homemade Cards For Seniors Australia newsletter for just under a year now, I felt it was time to let everyone know about the great work they’re doing for seniors in their communities.

So I got in touch with Wendy, the founder of the group, to learn more. The interview is below.

Founder Interview: Wendy Haywood, Homemade Cards For Seniors Australia

The impact was amazing especially given I am living over 10 hours away so visiting is not easy.

I also love card making and started making so many I needed somewhere to share them and reaching out to local nursing home to give them away, I was struggling.

I started the Homemade Cards for Seniors Australia Group | Facebook page in August 2024 to really gauge how many others were struggling like me and looking for ways to donate cards.

Create To Donate: Who do you serve and where?

Cards are donated to Meals on Wheels or other services who support seniors in their own homes as well as aged care facilities depending on where the collection point is located in Australia.

We are also reaching out to support Palliative Care units in hospitals as well as government ‘hostels’ for seniors waiting for beds in government funded nursing homes.

Our aim is bring as many smiles to seniors so always supportive of new donation opportunities.

Create To Donate: Are there other groups or organizations you hope to serve?

Homemade Cards For Seniors Australia: Our aim is to continue to bring smiles to seniors so welcome any other suggestions on where we can donate.

My aim is to get closer to government services and hope to reach more seniors this way.

Create To Donate: How does someone request support from your group?

Homemade Cards For Seniors Australia: Drop us an email to homemadecardsaus@gmail.com and we will work with them to support.

Create To Donate: What guidelines and requirements do you have for card donations? Which holidays or celebrations are your biggest need?

Homemade Cards For Seniors Australia: We run 4 themes per year, Christmas, Easter, Thinking of You and Birthdays (graphic below).

This was designed to allow the card maker plenty of time to make from 1 to as many cards as they can support during this time.

The final date is when the theme closes and when we love the card maker to deliver to the collection points.

Our collection points are card makers volunteering their time, so this also allows them time to make cards themselves without consistent deliveries throughout the theme. 

Cards can be made to the theme in any size, shape, or style. We have no restrictions.

Paint, print, decorate it, is up the card maker and their style of card making,

We just ask that they include a sentiment inside the card based on the theme, sign their name and suburb and if possible, add our logo inside also to help advertise the group.

The card maker is welcome to add their own ‘made by’ stamp as well.

We have stamp sets available at Snazzi Scrappin’ (Homemade cards for Seniors Stamp set 2 – Snazzi Scrappin’) which people can purchase (AU$8 inc GST) that has all the sentiments and our logo to make it easy.

We ask them to include an envelope (as many are delivered with meals it protects to the card) and ask them to not place in a plastic sleeve as it needs to be removed before delivering.

Once the theme is closed, we ask the card maker to drop off to the nearest collection point of which the collection point will then deliver to the seniors.

Create To Donate: Where should handmade cards be sent?

Homemade Cards For Seniors Australia: We have over 50 collection points currently across all states of Australia.

People can complete this form (Homemade Cards for Seniors Australia- New Card Maker Form) and we will email them information about the card requirements for donating, our theme timing and introduce them to their nearest collection point to them.

Create To Donate: What else would you like to share about your group?

Homemade Cards For Seniors Australia: Since starting the group we have delivered over 60,000 cards (smiles) across Australia from some amazing card makers.

We are not a listed charity or funded in any way and everyone is volunteering and donating their time and supplies to make the cards to bring smiles.

We do love to have card making supply companies support with donations of card stock and other materials which are being used by many groups now meeting once a month to make cards for seniors.

We also love to reward our card makers from donated goods as well as competitions we run throughout the year to give something back to them.

We also have card makers visiting at the aged care facilities to make cards with seniors themselves to send to their own family and friends where the materials can be used.

Every card shared is a smile and we have no restriction on number of cards shared.

We encourage all ages to make and share cards as children’s cards are enjoyed just as much as a card made by an experienced card maker.

It is about the ‘thought that counts’ motto and helping to bring a smile to a seniors face.

Want To Donate Handmade Cards From The US?

If you would like to contribute to this group’s charter, please let Wendy know Create To Donate sent you so that she can direct you to the appropriate collection point.

As Wendy explained in her interview, even a handful of cards will make a difference!

And I have to imagine that a card sent from someplace outside of Australia will hold a very special meaning to the recipient.

So I hope that if you have the time and means, you will consider sending cards to Homemade Cards For Seniors Australia.

That small gesture will make a big impact.

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