In March of 2020, Brandon Oaks shut down to visitors, just like retirement communities across the nation at the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic. This was the beginning of a year-long period without visitors and residents and staff coming together as each other’s family. Brandon Oaks laundry aide Mallorie Marin wanted to help bring a little bit of happiness to the resident’s day. As a life-long artist, Marin turned to what she knew best, art.
She used the paper tickets delivered to residents with their laundry as her canvas and started creating custom sketches on each ticket. “I just thought I’d make them smile, they make me smile so I wanted to try to brighten their day a little bit,” stated Marin. She added, “Since people, their families and friends, couldn’t come see them, I wanted to do something special for them.”
Marin’s drawings were so popular that residents began keeping their laundry tickets. She sketched whimsical drawings themed around holidays or shared kind words such as ‘have a happy day’. Word got around the community and residents who had saved their mini masterpieces came together to display all of them at an art show in Marin’s honor.
Marin’s small gesture of thoughtfulness brought so much joy in a time when we really needed it the most.