Lewis and Clark Cupid Crew Sends Roses and Cards to Isolated Seniors

Around 30 volunteers from Billings, Great Falls, Missoula, Butte, Helena and smaller towns such as Havre, Whitehall and Ronan unpacked, dethorned, trimmed, decorated and arranged 3,800 roses for delivery to hospitals, senior living homes and home hospice care across Montana on Feb. 12, organizers said. The effort was part of the nationwide Cupid Crew campaign led locally by AARP Montana and coordinated with the Wish of a Lifetime program.

AARP Montana state director Tim Summers, quoted in KTVH coverage, framed the work as a direct intervention against social isolation. Summers said, "Isolation is a real problem, and this helps," and urged neighbors to "check in on them, especially if they are elderly, a little bit more frail, just check in and see if they are doing okay," adding, "Especially during this time of year, give them some roses or a box of chocolates."

Volunteers on the packing floor described the work as hands-on and emotional. Sandra Jankowski, a local volunteer, said, "It is really rewarding to see so many people step up and do something of this nature." Jankowski added, "I hope they feel loved and appreciated for their life experiences and wisdom," and invited others to join by saying, "I would like to invite other people to be volunteers because I have felt that here you do make a difference in people’s lives." Those volunteers followed a routine emphasized in local coverage: unpacking flowers, removing thorns, trimming stems, decorating bouquets and delivering cards along with roses.

The Montana deliveries were part of a program that AARP traces to a 2014 start in Denver, when a few dozen volunteers delivered a few thousand flowers. AARP reports that "more than 200,000 Cupid Crew volunteers have now delivered more than a million roses (thorns removed) and Valentine’s Day cards to older adults in 40 states and the District of Columbia." The Congressional Award Cupid Crew toolkit describes the initiative as "celebrating its 12th year" and says over 1 million roses and cards have been delivered, while other outlets and a short video refer to the event as the 13th annual campaign; those differing anniversary claims are recorded by each source.

National organizers framed Cupid Crew as a targeted response to documented loneliness among older adults. Jared Bloomfield, director of field programs at Wish of a Lifetime, said, "Our goal was to find a way to provide love and connection to older adults on Valentine’s Day, which is a really isolating day for an already very isolated demographic," and added that opening a door to receive a rose is "the best icebreaker in the world." AARP cites a study finding that 40 percent of older adults report feeling lonely, while other coverage cites "one in three older adults" feeling lonely.

Cupid Crew also tapped intergenerational volunteers. Emily Meszaros, Youth Services Librarian at Green Hills Public Library, described teen involvement in making handmade cards during Teen Volunteer Time for ages 13 to 17 and linked the effort to both community connection and the loneliness crisis: "One in three older adults feels lonely, and I thought that by enlisting help from a few of our local teens, we could change that." The library listed upcoming Teen Volunteer Time sessions on its calendar and invited registration through its usual channels.

Organizers provided ways for participants to document service and share reflections. The Congressional Award toolkit encourages participants to record Cupid Crew activity as Voluntary Public Service in Award Record Books and to submit photos or brief reflections via the program's web portal or by mail to Post Office Box 77440, Washington, DC 20013. AARP and Wish of a Lifetime continue to invite volunteers to sign up to deliver flowers and cards in future campaigns.