Quincy Reporter

Illinois State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) and her staff worked to bring a little bit of holiday cheer by delivering thousands of handmade cards to residents living in nursing homes before Christmas.

Tracy's office teamed up with Arts Quincy to make it all happen.

"My office director Helen Mayfield and I were privileged to work with Arts Quincy's Laura Sievert, executive director, and Jenna Seaborn, marketing director, to deliver more than 3,000 handmade holiday cards to a number of local assisted living facilities on Dec. 13," Tracy wrote in a Facebook post.

According to the organization's website, Arts Quincy works to bring creative opportunities and art supplies to local schools, increase the public's access to the arts, and promote more than four dozen art and cultural nonprofit organizations. 

"Distribution of the wonderful cards, which were made by students at area schools, began at the Illinois Veterans Home at Quincy," Tracy added. "What a great day!"

The Illinois Veterans home at Quincy offers all levels of health care for the people who live there.  Services include 24/7 access to medical coverage, social services, other activities, plus a state-of-the-art-multi-therapy center. The residential community even has its own post office, bank, and chapel, according to the website. The nursing home is run by the state. 

"Helen Mayfield delivered handmade holiday cards to the Golden Good Shepherd Home. Because of the restrictions, she could not meet directly with residents," Tracy wrote in a comment on her post.

A few people chimed in Tracy's on the post, one calling the gesture a "wonderful, caring thought;" another, "a great thing to do."

The cards were delivered to several long-term care facilities in Tracy's district.

Local elementary school students came up with the designs themselves and made the thousands of cards that were delivered to the assisted living facilities.