’It was a very happy day:’ Kids partake in act of kindness at Hamilton assisted living facility

HAMILTON, Ohio (FOX19) - What started as a simple post on social media turned into an act of kindness at a Hamilton assisted living facility.

An employee at The Woodlands of Hamilton assisted living and memory care facility posted in a neighborhood Facebook group on Tuesday morning, asking if anyone would want to bring their children to the property to play in the snow to spread positivity.

The turnout was unexpected.

“Within I think probably 45 minutes, we had kids out here with signs,” Christina Schuler, the Sales and Marketing Director, said. “Then it just was very overwhelming, the amount of people who were participating.”

The children handcrafted snow creations, including snowmen and handmade signs, placing them in areas where the residents and employees could see them.

“One of the signs said ‘I hope this makes you smile,’ and they actually posted it up against one of the snowmen. One said ‘you are beautiful.’ Then a couple kids came with Valentine’s balloons and stuffed them in their snowmen also,” Schuler said. “At one point, there was a little girl throwing snowballs at the windows, and they were just enjoying the time watching them play.”

The hope for the special snow day was that it would cheer up the residents who have spent months isolated from their loved ones because of the pandemic.

“They really look forward to their mail, their phone calls, their FaceTime, so seeing people even through the window really makes a difference,” Annie Verhoff, the executive director, said.

In hindsight, the gesture itself may have been a simple one, but the thoughtfulness of those involved is something the people who work and live at The Woodlands said they will never forget.

“Really put a smile on all of their faces, all the residents, all the staff, really felt good to have the support from our community,” Verhoff said.

Staff members say the surprise snow day was such a success that they are inviting people in the community to come back again in the future.

They also said they are trying to keep the residents social by offering safe activities every day.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Click here to report it. Please include title of story.

Copyright 2021 WXIX. All rights reserved.