CUPERTINO — LaVerne Parmley wasn’t sure what was inside the envelope and didn’t know the person who sent it. But the Cupertino senior citizen was pleasantly surprised by its contents.
Tucked inside was a handwritten letter from a Harker School senior.
The uplifting letter was among many sent to the city’s sheltered-in-place seniors through a coordinated effort by the Cupertino Senior Center and Harker School’s Key Club.
The city estimates more than 150 letters written by a dozen or so Harker School students in grades 8-12 have been distributed.
Amanda Hui, the senior center’s recreation coordinator, said the letters are meant to be a pleasant surprise to recipients.
And many were, she added. “The message we’re going for is painting a positive moment during this time. For many who I have talked to — a few of them have brought it up — it was really special to receive that just out of nowhere.”
Although Parmley and her husband Richard are members of the senior center, they haven’t been able to participate in its usual activities because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We do very little outside the house,” Parmley said. “I do check in with the neighbors every couple of weeks. We have groceries delivered. We’re just trying to be very grateful.”
The letter brightened her day.
“It was such a lovely gift, a surprise gift,” Parmley said. “I didn’t know who it was from or why I was receiving it. Then when I read the note, I could tell. It was a connection to the Cupertino Senior Center.”
The teenager, whose name Parmley didn’t want to divulge out of privacy concerns, talked a bit about her life and said she hoped the Parmleys were doing well during this difficult time.
Parmley said she wrote back.
“I tried to be encouraging to her, too,” she said. “To look for the joy in her senior year, and that hopefully next year when she goes to college, in-person classes will resume.”
Parmley noted that another group of high school students in the area also is trying to reach out to seniors in various communities.
“I am just so impressed with what young people are doing today,” she said, “and the kind of leadership they’re showing about the care they have for the communities in which they live.”
Parmley declined to give her own age, saying with a laugh she was “old enough to know better than to answer that. I’m obviously a senior citizen.”
Kim Frey, who manages the Cupertino Senior Center, said from what she’s heard, the senior community’s response to the letters has been overwhelmingly good.
“There was one who was unsure about it because she feels less comfortable about getting mail,” Frey said. “But most of the things I heard was, ‘I am just so happy that the teens care about me. It made my week.’ Some really good responses, for sure.”
Frey said there might be another round of letters but nothing is scheduled at this point. She added that the senior center was careful about not providing anyone’s private information and inserted a note in the letters explaining the coordinated effort.
“The senior center’s staff were the ones who addressed the envelopes, so there wasn’t any issue with us giving out private information,” Frey said.
Joanne Magrini, Cupertino’s Parks and Recreation director, said the correspondence reminded her of the old penpal days — something the senior center might encourage.
“That might not be such a bad idea,” Magrini said about possibly adding a penpal program. “The majority of the feedback that we get from the seniors about missing the senior center is their lack of social interaction.
“It warms your heart when you see that people are receiving this on both ends of the spectrum, that the kids want to engage with the seniors, and it’s so meaningful to the seniors that people are thinking of them and want to do something to support them during this pandemic situation. I am so glad the kids are willing to do this.”
