9th Annual Handmade Valentine Swap for Western MA Families

January 8, 2017 at 12:01 pm (Craft Ideas, Hilltown Families Event, Press Release, Suggested Activity, Valentine's Day)
Tags: Commercial Free, Creative Free Play, papercraft, Placemaking, Valentine, valentine swap, Valentine's Day, western massachusetts

Hilltown Families 9th Annual
Community Handmade Valentine Swap

It’s that time of the year again! For the past nine years, Hilltown Families has coordinated a community Handmade Valentine Swap — and we’re doing it again! Making handmade valentines is a great way to push against the commercialization of yet another holiday, while being creative with your family and friends. Sign up below!  It’s FREE to sign up and open to all families in western Massachusetts!

A handmade valentine swap gives local families an opportunity to be creative together while connecting with other families in Western Massachusetts.  Through the swap, participating families mail out handmade valentines to ten assigned addresses, and in return, they receive handmade valentines from ten other participating families.  The cards can be handmade by any combination of child and adult, so if your kids aren’t completely up to the task, or if an adult would like to make their own design, there’s flexibility. All are welcomed!

Deadline to sign up (below) is Wednesday, February 1st. On Friday (2/3/17), you will be emailed your assigned names/address of participants to mail your handmade valentines to.  Everyone is kindly requested to mail your valentines off by Feb. 7th.

• Click here to see samples of valentines swapped in years past to stir your creative juices.
• Featured on Mass Appeal in 2016, click here to learn more about value of engaging in our Handmade Valentine Swap.
• Discover ways to incorporate STEM-based learning by clicking here to see what we shared last year.

If interested in participating this year, the information below must be filled out and submitted by Wednesday, February 1st, 2017.  Participation is free and open to all residents living in the four counties of Western MA, including Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire & Hampden counties.

If you have multiple children and would like each one to receive their own list of families to swap with, please register each person separately.

SIGN UP:

Email(required)

First & Last Name of Guardian (If signing up a youth participant. If signing up for adult participation, type your name here AND below.)(required)

Name of Participant (Who the valentine is to be addressed to on the envelope.)(required)

Age of Participant(required) Age 0-5 Age 6-8 Age 9-12 Age 13-18 Adult Family/Intergenerational

Mailing Address (Include town, state & zip code)(required)

Have you participated in the past?(required) First time participating Previously participated

Our handmade valentines will be mailed out by 2/7/17 with adequate postage.(required)

Comment

Be sure to click on the submit button above!  You should receive a personal confirmation within 48 hours.  If you do not receive a confirmation within 48 hours, email us at valentineswap@hilltownfamilies.org to inquire.

Support Hilltown Families

Help Hilltown Families support education through community engagement with YOUR financial support! Make a tax-deductible donation to Hilltown Families today! – Hilltown Families is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

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Never participated before? Over the years, over 5,000 handmade valentines have been swapped between families living throughout western MA! Here’s what just a few families had to share:

• What a fantastic idea! We’re excited to start this tradition! – Ellen (Amherst, MA)
• Thanks for organizing this wonderful event again this year! – Margaret (Northampton, MA)
• This is such a great idea! We have such an amazing community! – Terri (Easthampton, MA)
• I am an Early Head start and Head start home visitor. I shared this event with the families I work with and they are excited to participate in it as a group. We look forward to making this a yearly event for our families in the years to come. – Christine (Northampton, MA)
• This was so much fun last year! My daughter loved getting the mail and making the valentines for everyone. – Carolyn (Holyoke, MA)
• YAY!!! Our perennial favorite. I look forward to putting the Christmas things away so the valentines can start to arrive! – Tina (West Chesterfield, MA)
• This is such a nice tradition – thank you for continuing and coordinating! – Melissa (Northampton, MA)
• My son is very excited to be participating again this year! Thank you SO much for offering it again! – Renee (Easthampton, MA)
• We probably would just never get around to making valentine’s cards if not for this swap. Thank you so much. – Tanya (Leverett, MA)
• As a first time participant, I am hoping this will be an opportunity for me, to spend some fun time with my aging dad by creating cards, and in return give my dad something to look forward to in his mailbox for Valentine’s Day. What’s not to “Love ” about such a great swap. – Sandy (Shelburne Falls, MA)
• This sounds like a lot of fun. Thank you for the inspiration to exchange community love notes. – Deb (Wendell, MA)
• My wife and I are both adults, but we love making cards and just moved to the area. This sounds super fun… we’d love to be a part of this fun tradition! – CJ (Williamsburg, MA)
• This is such a fantastic community event! – Linda (Amherst, MA)
• My mother has done this in the past few years, I’d like to as well. – Elisabeth (Amherst, MA)
• This has become an annual tradition in our family. Many thanks for all your effort and time putting it together. – Joanne (Worthington, MA)
• So glad to be joining in the fun again this year. Yay, Hilltown Families! – Susan (Amherst, MA)
• Our family looks forward to making these cards every year. The kids get excited every day as they look forward to see the unique cards come in the mail with there names on them. – Jeanine (Thorndike, MA)
• Thank you! Our family has grown, moved, and changed throughout the years but we love the valentine swap. – Elizabeth (Athol, MA)
• The girls have loved being part of this wonderful family artistic event for several years. It makes checking for the mail so much fun. Thank you so much! – Hillary (Easthampton, MA)
• I’m so happy to find this!  Our day care does not allow the children to exchange valentines cards so this is wonderful!  [My daughter] will be excited to made and receive her valentines.  Thank you! — Kate W. (Shelburne Falls)
• We think this is one of the sweetest ideas.  Thank you for making the world just that much brighter.  — Lucy M. (Amherst)
• This is one of my favorite winter activities.  Thanks for keeping it going. — Kelly A. (Hadley)
• I participated in this swap last year for the first time. I LOVED making the Valentine’s for my list of folks. I am not usually very excited about the mail but this event made me excited for the mail to come. This is such an uplifting way to celebrate a day that can be lonely sometimes. Thank you for this activity. Count me in again!  — Carla D. (Chicopee)
• This was such a great community event to participate in last year, as it was our first year living in Western Massachusetts.  We look forward to being a part of the swap again! — Tara D. (Turners Falls)
• [This] looks like so much fun! The boys are so excited to participate. — Jennifer B. (Pittsfield)
• Lovely concept! So excited to share it with my son. – Wendy S. (Goshen)
• This was the first year my three year old participated in the Valentine’s Day swap & we had a blast making and receiving our cards in the mail. This site truly enhances what western Massachusetts is all about community and our great state! – Summer M.
• Last year our family participated in the Valentine’s Day card swap. It was really exciting and my kids loved it. It was a unique family activity put together by Hilltown Families… – Chrissy C.
• We loved participating in the swap. Many thanks to the families who sent valentines! [My daughter] was thrilled. Hilltown Families is such a catalyst for fun and connection. – Jen H.
• My family just moved to Western MA on January 1st and your Valentine’s Day Swap filled our house with so much warmth this holiday. My three girls had so much fun making their valentine’s and even more fun running to the mailbox each day to see what was waiting inside. Thank you so very, very much! – Theresa C.
• Just wanted to let you know that my two sons have really enjoyed the Valentine Swap! They are delighted each day to run to the mailbox and find a little surprise waiting for them! We made a valentine tree and put all of the valentines from our new friends on it! They also loved creating their own valentines, so much so that they chose to forego the usual store bought ones in favor of making their own for their school parties! Thanks so much for including us! This was a wonderful community outreach project! – The Allen Family
• I participated in your Valentine Swap…such a great idea and truly enjoyed receiving cards from other communities. I told a friend who also participated and we look forward to making new and different cards for next year! So much fun! – LaVonette L.

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