Love For Our Elders (formerly Love for the Elderly) is a United States-based
nonprofit organization that aims to alleviate social isolation among older adults.[1]
History
As a regular volunteer at his local senior living community, Jacob Cramer recognized chronic
loneliness prevalent among the residents. In 2013, he began handwriting kind, uplifting letters for senior living communities, a program that has since sent more than 300,000 letters around the world.[2][3][4]
The organization compiled videos and seniors' stories during the coronavirus pandemic for elders it could not reach due to mailing restrictions.[5]
On September 15, 2020, the organization announced its new name, Love For Our Elders. A statement from its founder said, "We’ve come to realize that our organization’s name included language that contradicted the work we pour our hearts into every day."[6]
Annually, the organization hosts
Letter to an Elder Day on February 26, encouraging others to write a letter to an elder who inspires them.[7][8][9] On March 19, 2024, Cramer published a picture book with the nonprofit called Grandma's Letter Exchange that invites young children to write their first letter.[2][10]
Press
In 2016, Jacob spoke on the organization's initiatives on national daytime talk show Harry.[11] Later that year, it was featured on the cover of American Profile. In 2022, the organization was one of three nonprofits named by
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve as a 2022 Culture Catalyst.[12]