Group of Dubuque women make, distribute greeting cards
Spot a homemade card on someone's fridge or coffee table in Dubuque? It may have come from a local group of about a half-dozen women who meet weekly to make the cards.
The group, Cards from America's Heartland, makes about 70 cards a month out of brightly colored papers, ribbon, twine and other items. The cards are distributed to area assisted-living facilities, the homebound, those overcoming medical challenges and others, the Telegraph Herald reported .
Janet Walker founded the group in 2004 to create cards to send to local soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. At its height, it was making 250 cards a month to send overseas.
Following the soldiers' return, the group temporarily disbanded — but soon reconvened.
"We found out that we liked each other a lot and that we missed it when we weren't doing our thing," Walker said.
Along with the greeting cards, the group also makes birthday cards and has also made cards for area police, fire and sheriff's departments.
Each group member has her own specialty in the card-making process, said group member Leta Miller, of Dubuque.
"We have some people that like to color. We have some people who would rather cut and some people who like to put them together," she said. "So we all get along because everybody wants to do a different thing."
Natalie Marugg, activities director at the Luther Manor Grand Meadows, said residents of the nursing home get joy from receiving the cards.
"For me personally, I think it's a great thing that there are other people in the world that think about people in a nursing home setting," Marugg said. "I think it's great that there's something from outside being brought in to remind them that they're thought of."