February 13, 2026 / 3:27 PM PST / CBS LA
A nationwide Cupid campaign has reached a Northridge senior center, with love spreading through one handwritten valentine at a time.
The Cupid Crew is a volunteer program that launched more than a decade ago, and since then, more than one million cards and roses have reached older Americans, many of whom are isolated or have lost a loved one.
At the Wilkenson Senior Center, Aris Bogosian is just one of the hundreds receiving unexpected valentines. "Dear valentine, just like the sun, you brighten many people's lives with your warm spirit," her card read.
"With your warm spirit, that's what got me," Bogosian said. "I just find it to be heartwarming, personal and very special."
Aris Bogosian reads her Valentine's Day card. CBS LA
Her friend Marilyn also got a card, "Have a lovely day, Valentine's Day, and even better year."
Grassroots programs like the Cupid Crew are encouraging people of all ages to connect with seniors this week, as many have spouses and friends who have passed away.
The center's director noted the handwritten cards are becoming a thing of the past. "Getting a letter is like a real treat because people don't do it anymore," Rhonda Bunnin, Wilkinson Senior Center Director, said. "Everything's done in social media, but if they have a chance to have a letter, then they have something in their hand that they can read and keep whenever they feel lonely."
Seniors read their Valentine's Day Cupid Crew cards. CBS LA
More handwritten valentines will be delivered along with the hot meals for homebound seniors.
"The drivers are the only visitors they may have for the day. A lot of their families live out of the area," Bunnin said. She noted that those who built our communities need this type of inter-generational connection year-round.
Nobody at the center expected these expressions of gratitude and love, which for some, brought back childhood memories.
"You had to decorate a shoebox and everybody in your class would deposit a valentine, and you knew the special ones were. You couldn't wait to get home and go through them," Bogosian said.