Send a Letter. Make Someone Smile

A collage of seniors holding handmade cards and colourful drawings from Smile Carrier.

Students can earn volunteer hours by writing letters or cards for seniors who may be feeling isolated or alone.

Teachers, classrooms, and community members are also welcome to get involved.

Earn Volunteer Hours with Smile Carrier

High school students can earn community volunteer hours by writing letters or cards for seniors who may be feeling isolated or alone.

This is a flexible opportunity that can be completed from home.

Once we receive your letters, we will review the hours requested to make sure they are reasonable for the work completed. We can then sign your volunteer form and email it back to you.

How to Write a Letter

Write a kind letter or card to brighten a senior’s day.

A handwritten letter with two photographs and a plush teddy bear. One photo shows a sunset over water with the text "Difficult Roads Often Lead to Beautiful Destinations." The other photo shows a sunset with the text "Positive Mind, Positive Vibes, Positive Life." The teddy bear is holding pink flowers and is placed on top of the letter.

1. What Can You Write?

Write a kind note or card:

  • Say something about yourself

  • your school or hobbies

  • words of encouragement

  • a joke, story, or memory

  • handwritten, typed, or use blank cards (dollar store works great)

  • you can print copies and make more

  • Anything that could make someone smile!

Colorful, hand-colored illustrations of various scenic landscapes and landmarks, including a fairy-tale village with treehouses, a waterfall with lush greenery, a famous yellow submarine, and Ferris wheels, with some elements featuring British flags and iconic architecture.

2. Tips for Your Letter

  • keep it kind and caring

  • You can find ideas on Pinterest or Google

  • make it non-seasonal (can be sent anytime)

  • don’t date the letter

  • you can include artwork, pictures, or flat items

A blank envelope with a Canadian postage stamp in the top right corner.

3. Prepare Your Envelope

  • place your card in an envelope

  • add a Canadian stamp on the outside (if you can’t provide one, no worries—we’ll add it after submission)

  • leave the address area blank; we will affix the recipients mailing address

This is a community involvement activity form with sections for proposing and completing a community activity, including fields for contact information, location, hours, signatures, and official use.

4. Before You Submit

Attach to your bundle of letters:

  • your email, and

  • your school board’s community service form (filled in) for me to sign off and return via email

A cardboard box with a yellow sign attached to it, indicating it is a Smile Carrier for home drop-off. The sign includes a QR code and a message about sending smiles by mail.

5. Submit Your Letters

Drop off at:

  • 📍 4380 South Service Rd, Upper Unit 6, Burlington, ON L7L 5Y6

  • Monday-Friday, 8:00 am -4:00 pm

  • Unit 6 is labelled Desjardins, TechElectric.

  • Look for a box inside the door to deposit your letters

Request a Recipient

Know someone who could use a smile?

If you know a senior who may enjoy receiving letters, please complete the form below. Recipient information will be kept private and used only for Smile Carrier mail.

A senior collecting Smile Carrier letters from an outdoor mailbox.

Register a Residence or Organization to Receive Letters

If you work with seniors or individuals who would enjoy receiving Smile Carrier mail, please complete the form below. We send letters, cards, and drawings to help brighten someone’s day.

Recipient information will be kept private and used only for Smile Carrier mail.

Group of five elderly people holding thank you cards and letters, smiling in a cozy living room with a table full of cards, letters, and a potted plant.

For Schools & Educators

A white ceramic mug filled with color pencils placed on top of a closed notebook with a pen resting on its cover.

Smile Carrier is a simple and meaningful activity for classrooms, school clubs, student councils, and school-wide initiatives.

Students can write letters, create cards, or draw pictures for seniors who may be feeling isolated or alone. It is an easy way to practise writing, encourage kindness, and help students give back to the community.

Examples of Ways to Participate

  • Letter writing activity

    Students can practice letter writing and proper letter format while creating kind messages for seniors.

  • Card or Drawing Activity

    Students can create cards, drawings, or simple messages to brighten someone’s day.

  • School Club Activity

    Clubs can use Smile Carrier as a meeting activity by creating cards or letters together.

How to Participate

  1. Have students write letters, cards, or drawings

  2. Place letters in envelopes if possible

  3. Leave the address area blank

  4. Drop off or submit letters as a class bundle

Melania, manager of Smile Carrier, smiling while holding handmade cards.

About Smile Carrier

Smile Carrier was founded by Yolanda after she noticed how much seniors could look forward to receiving mail, especially those who may be living alone or feeling isolated.

What began as a simple idea has grown into a community initiative where students, classrooms, and volunteers create letters, cards, drawings, and kind messages for seniors.

Smile Carrier is now managed by Melania, who is excited to continue the initiative and help it grow. Through volunteering with seniors, she has seen how impactful thoughtful gestures can be and hopes to help more seniors feel valued and connected.

Our mission is to bring small moments of connection to seniors through thoughtful letters, cards, and messages from the community.

Want to get involved?

Help brighten someone’s day by sending a letter or signing up someone who could use a smile.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Smile Carrier will attach a mailing label of a recipient. It will be put into a Canada Post mail box. There will be a return address with our website and the office address in Burlington. 

  • There are two types of recipients: 

    1. Recipients are people who are alone in their own home. They will get mail through Canada Post addressed with their name, that was originated from Smile Carrier. 

    2. Recipients can be residents of group long-term care home in the area. At Smile Carrier we collect those letters without stamps and deliver in a batch. 

  • Currently, we collect letters from the GTHA area and hope to expand in the future. Recipients can live anywhere in Canada.

  • No. This site keeps the recipients’ personal information private. We are not matching people to create pen pals.

Contact Us

Letter Drop-Off Location

4380 South Service Rd, Upper Unit 6
Burlington, ON L7L 5Y6

Monday–Friday
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Unit 6 is labelled Desjardins / TechElectric.
Look for the box inside the door.

Follow Us

Instagram: @smile.carrier

Facebook: @SmileCarrier.ca