Chemo Angels is a program that matches up volunteer “angels” with people who have cancer and are undergoing chemotherapy. Angels provide support and encouragement to their assigned patients by sending regular notes, cards, and small gifts.
Angel volunteers must be 25 or older, but this project could work for a family by having children help write letters, choose gifts, and make drawings and crafts to send. An alternative is to be a Card Angel and send additional cards of encouragement to someone who already has a Chemo Angel. It’s an event worth celebrating when patients finish their treatment and graduate from the Chemo Angels program. However, something to keep in mind if you make this a family project is that not all patients will win their battle with cancer.
A sister program run by the same organization is Senior Angels, which works the same way but matches up angels with lonely senior citizens who are homebound or in a nursing home or convalescent hospital. It is a long-term commitment but could be a great way to develop a long-distance relationship with an elderly person who could use some encouragement and support.
If you already know a friend or relative who is facing health problems or is lonely and hurting, sending notes, cards, and small gifts might be a good way to provide support and encouragement even if you do not live nearby or in addition to in-person visits from your family.
