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By NATHAN HOWELL | Special to the Reporter 

HELENA — A great number of people have been forced to spend time away from others over the past year, because of a high vulnerability to the COVID-19 virus.

To help make these people feel special, the Helena Teen Council put together more than 80 Valentine’s Day cards to let them know they are being thought of.

The idea was born out of a need and desire to help make sure that seniors and other at-risk residents of the city knew that someone was thinking about them, according to City Council president and Teen Council sponsor Alice Lobell.

“We decided to put these together for two reason,” Lobell said. “I know there are a lot of people who are feeling very isolated with the pandemic, and having to be in their houses more than they ever have, and the other is that we are a service organization so we try to do things around the city for people.”

The teen council normally assists with many of the festivities that happen throughout the year; however, most of these were cancelled, which left the teen council without a service project.

Lobell said that the project was just as important for the teens as it was for the people who were to receive the cards.

“They got to be very creative; some drew pictures and wrote nice things to the people, and they just had a great time doing it,” Lobell said. “This organization is great because it brings together kids (who) might never be friends if it were not for the teen council.”

Peter Haywood, a member of the council, said that he found the whole experience to be fulfilling and a wholesome way to care for others in the community.

“It was really fun to see how everyone could come together in this time to make someone else’s day better that has been inside for so long,” Haywood said. “One lady was kind of surprised that we were there, and she was very thankful because her husband was sick and she knew it would make him feel better.”

Lobell said she was incredibly proud of the teen council, as they all put in a lot of work to make this happen, and even though it was a small act it would really make an impression on those who got the cards.