On Feb. 5, Christina Orso and Kaela Kinley hosted a Valentine’s Day card-making session at the Protective Club on Thames Street. Tables were covered with all the supplies needed to craft personalized Valentines. The event was part of the worldwide initiative known as The Cupid Project, an annual card-giving program established in 2018 with the goal of delivering Valentine’s cards to nursing home residents.
This was the first year the Protective Club participated in the effort. Orso shared that their goal was to create 105 cards for residents of St. Clare Newport. Around 7:30 p.m., she and co-host Kinley delightedly announced that 115 cards had been made, allowing them to provide cards to staff members as well as residents at the Spring Street nursing home.
The Protective Club was founded in 1904 for “literary and social purposes” by Dennis J. Sullivan, Daniel A. Bowman, Thomas J. Boyle, Andrew Connell, and Dennis B. Leary. The Harrington family and members sold the social club in late 2022, and it reopened in July 2023 under the same name, with new owners and a renewed focus on the 5th Ward community. Club manager Scott Kelleher has done a terrific job appealing to the next generation of neighbors and visitors.
The club’s literary and social mission continues through a monthly book club, and many of its members were on hand to make Valentines. Kelly Dalton described the evening as “a nice way to give back to the community,” while Anacristina Maia noted that a bonus was meeting new people.
Participants like Kathleen Kearns, Maria Riccio, Karyn Rondeau, Alexa Waluk, and Laura Caster each made four or five cards. Heart stickers and markers helped them craft heartfelt messages, which event organizers hoped would help combat the isolation often felt by nursing home residents. Sharon Brockwell, who was making cards with her son Cole, said she signed up for the event because she knew it was something her 91-year-old mother would appreciate.
Orso and Kinley will personally hand-deliver the cards to residents of St. Clare Newport on Valentine’s Day.
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