Fremont teens create network to send thank you cards to healthcare heroes amid COVID-19 pandemic

FREMONT, Calif. (KGO) -- Cards are a simple way to convey a message. You can wish someone a happy birthday, you could tell someone that you love them or you could thank someone for all that they do.

Two Fremont teens, Mantej and Prabhleen Lamba, wanted to show their gratitude toward healthcare heroes working during the coronavirus pandemic, so they made some cards and created the network called Cards 4 COVID Heroes.

"We're seeing on a lot of various news channels that healthcare workers are really taking a mental and emotional toll," Prabhleen said. "Selfless service is the way that we can support each other. It's one of our core principles of our Sikh religion. Through selfless service by bringing our community together, we can make ourselves happy as well as others."

"Our main goal is to try and just spread some happiness during these times of uncertainty," Mantej said. "What we're trying to do is we're trying to connect community members to healthcare workers by collecting thank you cards from our community members and delivering them to hospitals along with gift cards."

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In just two months, the siblings have collected more than 250 thank you cards and gift cards from their community to distribute to doctors and nurses.

Their cards have been given out to healthcare workers working at hospitals across the Bay Area, Arizona and Southern California.

The cards meant the world to two registered nurses working at the Los Angeles Community Hospital.

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"I was actually working in a COVID unit and I just remember having a big smile after that," Marilyn Gomez said. "All my coworkers were very smiley after they receive the gift cards."

"In our profession, we don't really need to be given a gift because that's our job, to take care of sick people," Armela Hipolito said. "So getting the kind of gift, it was a very heartfelt feeling."

In a time of such crisis, the smallest gifts can make the biggest difference.

And the unsuspecting front-line workers can be the biggest heroes.

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"A big, big thank you to them because they are our true heroes in so many different ways," Prabhleen said.

We feel as if, as long as this pandemic is going on, we will be there to thank our health care workers and we just hope to expand this as much we can," Mantej said.

The Lamba's said that people interested can hand make cards, create e-cards or donate through their GoFundMe page.

If you'd like to get involved with Cards 4 COVID Heroes visit their website here.

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