A handful of students from Dr. Charles Best Secondary were in Port Coquitlam this afternoon, Feb. 14, to spread love with seniors on Valentine's Day.
The students, who are in teacher Sophie Viswanathan's Housing and Living Environments 12 class at the Coquitlam high school, were asked by Danie-Ela Ariel, a Port Coquitlam resident and the founder of Tree Of Hearts, to be part of the goodwill project.
It's the second year her organization has reached out locally.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, it also distributed Valentine's-theme goodies at the Astoria Retirement Residence and Hawthorne Seniors Care Community.
This year, students at Ranch Park Elementary in Coquitlam also helped to decorate the stones with uplifting words or messages on the backs to offer to seniors in the Wilson Lounge at the Port Coquitlam Community Centre (PCCC) and at Astoria's sister facility: Mayfair Terrace.
"It's nice to support people with positivity," Grade 12 student Hailey Jones told the Tri-City News.
"The whole idea of this project is to share love," Ariel added.
"When you create art and give it away, it has transformational powers. It helps with connection in a way that's authentic and genuine. And to have the students interact with an older generation is very special."
Ariel's Tree of Hearts nonprofit encourages Tri-City residents to create their own heart-arts and leave them anonymously for a stranger in a public place.
