An Edmonton university student is working to spread a little joy to thousands of patients in the capital region, one homemade card at a time.
Brendan McFatridge was volunteering at a seniors home in Fort Saskatchewan two years ago when he noticed that little things, like a homemade card, went a long way to improving the mental health of seniors.
“I saw a gap in healthcare for mental health support,” he said. “They just feel like it is nice to have people in the community who are thinking of them when they might not have that support every day.”
He started Cards For Care Edmonton, which provides homemade cards to different health-care facilities from the Stollery Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House, as well as seniors’ homes.
At the Stollery and Ronald McDonald house, blank cards are also available for families to say thank you to caregivers.
“We believe that if you can push the kindness forward, that’ll make you feel good, and as a patient, that’s kind of what you need the most,” he said.
During the first year of Cards for Care, 300 cards were handed out. This year, they are looking to hand out 10 times as many.
“We’ve really blown up the past year,” he said.
McFatridge said the initiative is about helping patients improve their mental health and, in turn, their physical health as well.
“We know that a small gesture like that, when someone’s at rock bottom or is not doing well mentally, can actually increase their overall well-being, which can have a huge impact on their recovery time,” said McFatridge.
Volunteers have become so efficient at making cards, McFatridge is looking for more facilities to give cards to. They’ve also already expanded the program. McFatridge said he’s looking for financial support from organizations, so volunteers don’t have to use their own supplies to make the cards.
Around 15 volunteers get together to make cards, and they can make a lot. One Christmas season, two volunteers made nearly 9,000 cards each.
“All it takes is one person to really make a difference in this world,” Carmen Baird, a volunteer card maker, said. “If you get a bunch of people that care coming together, wonderful things can happen.”
She’s been inspired by McFatridge and his team.
“I’m getting on in life and it takes a lot to impress me as I get older,” Baird said. “I am wowed by him and everything he’s achieved.”
McFatridge is heading into his second year of neurology studies at the University of Alberta and hopes one day to be a doctor.
“It’s kind of my way of giving back to healthcare when I can’t be a doctor right now,” he said. “It’s not about the cards for us, it’s about the impact that they make on patients who need some extra support.”