“The world is a dangerous place not because of those who do harm, but because of those who look at it without doing anything.”

— Albert Einstein

Paul Carlson/Daily Journal

Juanita Andersen, left, Mary Crans, center, and Teresa Sevilla were among many members of the South San Francisco Adult Day Program to partake in the Valentine’s for Soldiers event.

Just the little things mean so much. Things from home are so special.

Red hearts and glitter filled the tables in the dining room of the South San Francisco Adult Day Program yesterday while participants created festive notes for Valentine's Day.

Mary Louise Chavez finished hers by simply writing "Happy Valentine's Day," and signing her name.

"It will go to a soldier," she said, "or a sailor."

Chavez may not have been sure who would get the valentine, but the note will go to a member of the military. About 100 notes generated yesterday will be sent to the 49th Military Police Brigade, out of Fairfield, currently serving in Iraq. This year marked the second annual crafting for soldiers event which all began with an idea from the office of Assemblyman Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo.

For Hill, the cards are a chance to ensure those serving are reminded of local appreciation.

"It means a lot," Hill said recalling his time of active duty in the '60s. "Just the little things mean so much. Things from home are so special."

And that's what the seniors were creating yesterday, little notes from home.

Each person attempted the task differently.

Ellen Gutierrez added confetti in the shape of lips to her card, while Kiyo Takehara colored two pages depicting a heart with cupid.

Helen Rogers, who has 17 grandchildren and one great grandchild, was unsure of her creative skills but was successfully adding a hand-made bow with hearts on it to her valentine.

Jean Housman laughed when asked the last time she created a valentine.

"It must have been 20 years," she said.

Seniors in the Adult Day Program and those who regularly visited the senior center joined together to create the cards yesterday. With about 30 minutes until lunch, the group had finished around 75 with hopes of getting closer to 100 before wrapping up, said Program Coordinator Laura Gigi, who noted larger holidays often inspire people to think of the troops. Smaller holidays, like Valentine's Day, do not always create the same enthusiasm.

"They need to be kept in our minds," she said. "This is just a small token of our appreciation."

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