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One of the new and impactful programs the Viking Volunteers at Grand View University have to offer is the pen pal program. Students involved in the program are given the opportunity to connect with residents at two local nursing home facilities at Azria Health Park Place and Arbor Heights in Des Moines.

Students write bi-weekly letters to residents creating a relationship and a bond with them. Being able to value residents of nursing homes and showing that they are cared for through these letters has changed their lives, but it has also changed the lives of the Viking Volunteer members. 

The president of the program, Alexis Huls, is in charge of dropping the letters off to the nursing home facilities and giving them a week or two to exchange and write letters to send to the students. Each member of the program is assigned to a pen pal, and it is a yearlong commitment of interaction and building community with these individuals. The letters are personalized with conversation about sports, holidays, and some of the residents’ experiences at GV many years ago. 

COVID-19 was a challenging time to interact with others at nursing homes. Both facilities were on a two-month lockdown with no chance of being able to see anyone.

“Being able to drop off these letters to them, the facilitators at the nursing home absolutely loved it because it shows them that someone in the outside world is thinking about them, even though they aren’t able to actually see them,” Huls said. The experience of writing to pen pals has made the members feel a sense of community.

 The patients at the nursing home act as “grandparents” to the students that are writing to them. There is importance in acknowledging that there are people that do live in nursing homes and that it is not simple for them to communicate with others in their facility. 

“They just want to hear about what you are doing. It is more for them than it is for us,“ said Huls. 

The activities director collects the letters and passes them out to the residents, who would all get together in one group. Not only are they interacting with GV students, but they are conversating with each other as well. 

A lot of students have enjoyed their time being a part of the program and want to stay connected with their pen pal. Students have grown after experiences of creating bonds, and learning new perspectives on life, perspectives that should not be taken for granted. 

One of the Viking Volunteer members, Madi Turner, has had great experiences sharing her hobbies with her pen pal. As a nursing student, she was able to connect with her pen pal from her experience with working in a nursing home and Turner learned many things from her pen pal that she will always remember. 

“This does not take me very much time out of my day, but I know that it makes a big impact on somebody else,” Turner said. 

She believes that it is important to focus on something else other than herself and care for others. Her previous experiences with working at nursing homes gave her a new perspective of understanding the lifestyle of residents. It has made her appreciate her life, knowing the certain conditions that residents may go through like seeing family and the harsh conditions of COVID-19 that have made interactions not as accessible. 

“I want to be somebody that they can talk to,” Turner said. 

Being part of the program Turner had found many similarities between her and her pen pal. She was able to bond over the similarities that they shared. Turner’s favorite letters that she wrote to the resident were when they bonded over him being a previous science professor at GV. 

Volunteering has become an important part of Turner’s life and she is passionate about what she can do for others. The goal of this program is to make sure that residents in nursing homes are receiving support and assurance that they are cared for. The Pen Pal Program was started to provide a reminder on how one simple act of kindness can impact someones life.