Shreya Patel
Co-Founder & Secretary
Shreya is a sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis. She is interested in entrepreneurship and serving her community.
Saffron Patel
Co-Founder & President
Saffron Patel is a rising freshman at Washington University in St. Louis. She loves STEM, photography, and is passionate about volunteering in her community.
Outside of LAI, she loves spending her free time baking, hand-sewing quilts, and chatting with her grandparents!
Ellen
Volunteer Coordinator & Board Member
Ellen joined LAI in April 2020 and serves on our Board of Directors. She has 26 years of experience as an occupational therapist with a specialty in geriatrics. Ellen retired to Denver, Colorado from New York City and her east coast accent still amuses the locals!
In addition to her passion for writing letters, Ellen enjoys reading, crossword puzzles, swimming, old movies and anything animal-related. She is all about volunteering in her pajamas, sending correspondence for one national and two local non-profits besides LAI, single-handedly trying to support the postal service!
lai.volunteer.rep@gmail.com
Feel free to contact her at: lai.volunteer.rep@gmail.com with your general questions, if you need community service forms signed or if your company would like to set up a Group Event or schedule a Corporate video presentation.
Satish
Chief Geek
Inspired by LAI's awesome mission to reduce senior isolation around the world, I started prototyping LAI's new pledge application in April 2021. Armed with my technology consulting skills spanning 25 years, I am currently collaborating with our amazing founders to build out our new Signup web application that will support all the wonderful volunteers of LAI, as we continue to grow around the world!
When I'm not busy consulting, I thoroughly enjoy socializing with my friends (and strangers) over board games. Or attempting to finish my massive backlog of video games, and movies. On days when it's not raining in sunny Seattle, I like to enjoy the outdoors on long drives and camping in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
You can contact me about the platform at lai.tech.lead@gmail.com. You can also give feedback directly on the new Signup web app.
Alissa
Volunteer Coordinator: Parties & US Volunteer Recruitment
Alissa joined LAI in June 2020; she is a lifelong resident of California and a retired teacher of students with special needs. She serves as our Facebook liaison, oversees our special committees and reports progress to the Board and has spearheaded efforts to add International locations to LAI’s roster of partner facilities.
When not writing letters, Alissa enjoys singing as well as Israeli folk dancing and has been known to play the guitar, ukulele and accordion. She also loves to crochet items for her granddaughter Noa.
Please contact her at alissa.rose.volunteer.rep@gmail.com if you have ideas about topics/themes for future Zoom parties or US volunteer recruitment!
Paula
Volunteer Coordinator: New Facility Outreach & US Stamp Fund
Paula joined LAI in May 2021. Before retiring, she spent 15 years working as an occupational therapist in geriatrics, and then had a second career as a medical technical writer.
Paula loves all kinds of crafts and usually makes her own LAI cards. She also enjoys sewing, watching old movies, cooking, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Originally from the Chicago area, Paula now resides in Washington State where she thrives in the rain with her husband, kitty, and parrot, Dorian Grey.
Feel free to contact her at Paula.brmn.lai@gmail.com with your questions or concerns about returned mail, address verification, and facility updates.
Contact her at lai.stamp.fund@gmail.com with your questions about the US Stamp Fund.
Andrea
Volunteer Coordinator: Stationery Exchange
Hi, everyone! My name is Andrea, and I was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. I am employed as a Adult Services Librarian/ Outreach Specialist and serve as the Volunteer Coordinator at my branch. I volunteer at my local animal shelter, blood donation center, assisted living facilities, and literacy programs. I enjoy spending time with my husband, walking my dog, and reading. I also participate in 5Ks for fundraising and for health.
I joined LAI as a letter writer in 2021, and I am looking forward to taking on the role of the Stationery Exchange Coordinator. I am glad to serve this community as LAI has served so many people in our lives.
Feel free to contact her at lai.stationery.exchange@gmail.com with your questions about the Stationery Exchange Program.
Pat
Volunteer Coordinator: Canadian Stamp Fund
I joined LAI in October 2020 and I am now honored to serve as our Stamp Fund volunteer for Canada. I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. After many years in banking and a short stint at a travel agency, I took my administration skills to the Calgary Stampede, which was my dream job and from where I retired after 15 years. My passion is card-making and it’s something I’ve been able use in many volunteer opportunities, including card making classes at a Senior’s facility. Along with LAI, I volunteer with Seniors Secret Service, sit on my church board and I’ve administered an aviation scholarship for over 20 years. I love reading, crocheting and lunching with girlfriends! My husband and I enjoy flying and going on long RV trips. I find a bit of time in my craft room pretty much each day to prepare cards and letters to spread cheer to our wonderful Seniors it brings me great JOY!
Feel free to contact her at lai.canada.stamp.fund@gmail.com with your questions about the Canadian Stamp Fund.
Kris
Volunteer Coordinator: Community Service Liaison, General Email Inquiries
Kris joined LAI as a letter writer in Summer 2020. She works in digital marketing in Madison, Wisconsin, where she lives with her family and cat. A photographer and artist, she enjoys sharing her skills and interests through the unique cards she makes for seniors. Kris helps answer questions from LAI writers and assists with community service verification for new student volunteers. She can be reached at: lai.rep.kris@gmail.com.
Annesa
Volunteer Coordinator: Community Service Liaison, General Email Inquiries
Annesa joined LAI in March 2021 hoping to bring some joy and inspiration into the lives of isolated seniors through letter writing. Much to her surprise she was inspired to begin making cards instead. She is forever grateful to LAI and their seniors for this mutually inspirational relationship! In addition to making cards she enjoys cross stitching, crocheting and reading, but most of all playing with her two young nieces. In her spare time she works as a full-time accountant in the insurance industry and resides in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Annesa helps answer questions from LAI writers and assists with community service verification for new student volunteers. She can be reached at: lai.rep.annesa@gmail.com.
Tim
Volunteer Coordinator: Meals-on-Wheels Outreach
My name is Tim and I am a volunteer at LAI. I live in a high-rise building in downtown Brooklyn, NY with my cat, Oscar. I am retired from the airline and travel business and have visited 158 countries.
Feel free to contact him at tim.g.volunteer.rep@gmail.com with your questions about Meals on Wheels recruitment.
Leslie
Board Member
Leslie Zales has corporate marketing, nonprofit development and leadership experience and currently works for Project Giving Kids. She has extensive experience in the nonprofit space and takes pride in making business connections personally and professionally. She enjoys the outdoors with her family and their dog, Chief, and summering in Maine, her native state.
In loving memory of
Anne Granville
Volunteer Coordinator: US Stamp Fund
We dedicate the Anne Granville Stamp Fund to our dear friend and colleague.
We miss you, dearest Anne…and we thank you for sharing your abundant joy with us all!
Anne joined our community as a volunteer in January 2021 and in January 2022 she took on the role of liaison for the LAI U.S. Stamp Fund. Anne did an amazing job working with our students and seniors who requested stamps in order to be able to send letters to the many seniors we serve. Anne also initiated a Stationery Sharing program, matching up volunteers wishing to donate writing supplies with volunteers in need of such supplies.
Anne was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and retired to Connecticut. Following a successful career as a compliance officer on Wall Street, Anne worked as a school administrator, which she described as her “dream job.”
Anne enjoyed reading, old movies, music, baking and animals. Inspired by her mother’s love of writing, Anne and a cousin in Norway exchanged letters for over 50 years!
Anne summed up her passion for LAI this way: “I love Sundays and the chance to strategize where to send my cards and letters.”
Anne was an integral part of every LAI Zoom get-together. Her passion, creativity, positivity, kindness, organization and sense-of-humor will be sorely missed.
We miss you, dearest Anne…and we thank you for sharing your abundant joy with us all!