Happy Sunday, Shreya!,

Can you believe that we've reached the end of another incredible year? That's right, this is the last newsletter of 2021! Let's celebrate the many momentous milestones that we have hit together in the past 12 months.

In 2021 the Letters Against Isolation Community wrote 212,735 letters to 17,258 seniors in 301 nursing homes! We began writing to seniors in 1 new country, South Africa. We have recruited 8687 new volunteers. Letters Against Isolation incorporated into a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and in just three months, has raised $13,260, enough to pay off our incorporation fees, cover operations for 2022, and start several exciting new projects that will allow us to better serve our seniors. This year, we held a service event hosted by the Presidential Inaugural Committee, saw the first in-person LAI meetup, and appeared on MSNBC, the Drew Barrymore Show, and The Washington Post.

We owe each milestone to you, the LAI community. Whether you have been with us since April 2020 or you just joined this week, thank you for giving us your time and for being part of this wonderful project. We are grateful for you, and so are the thousands of seniors we serve. I cannot wait to see what 2022 brings us!

Last week, I did say that we planned to put out another spreadsheet on the 2nd of January. When I checked the spreadsheet, I did not expect to see that we were over halfway to reaching every senior on Tuesday! Your generosity continues to amaze me! We're going to close that sheet, and put out another spreadsheet today. This sheet closes on January 2nd. Let's make one final 2021 push, and wish every senior we serve a very happy new year!

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Before I sign off, I would like to thank a few people without whom LAI would not function. Ellen and Alissa are our incredible volunteer coordinators. Their ideas, advice, incredible organizational skills, and ability to make anyone smile make up the glue that holds LAI together. Tim and Remona have been two of LAI's most passionate advocates - without them, we would not nearly have the reach we do today. Casey and Diane are two of LAI's most trusted advisors, their insight into finance and nonprofit operation respectively is allowing us to grow into a strong and long-lasting organization. Finally, I would like to thank my family. You might know that our grandmother, Ba, inspired LAI, but she is also our number one supporter. Without our parents' advice, support, and encouragement, LAI might never have gotten off the ground. Last, but certainly not least, my sister and co-founder, Saffron. Her meticulous nature, kindness, and work ethic are core to LAI's success.

Happy New Year,

Shreya

LAI Co-Founder

Letters Against Isolation