“Love, Judy” Brings Valentine’s Joy to Senior Residents

INTERNATIONAL FALLS, Minn. — This Valentine’s Day, local teacher Karla Line is honoring her late mother with a heartfelt project titled “Love, Judy.”

Students of Karla, a teacher in International Falls, have been crafting sweet Valentine’s cards for residents of a nursing home.

Karla started this project last year in memory of her mother, Judy, who passed away in 2023, just before her birthday on February 14th. She shared that her mom was a strong believer in spreading love to those who needed it the most.

“My mom was a giver. She freely and generously gave to anyone and everyone she could, and she never hung up the phone without saying ‘I love you.'” Karla continued, “So, Valentine’s Day was always her day, and it will forever be a reminder for my sisters and me of how much love we were given from her.”

Karla went on to explain that getting her students involved is not just about giving back to senior residents, but also about drawing out love from her students.

“I had kids sitting at tables this morning who poured so much attention and time into one Valentine because they knew, maybe they had a grandparent in a nursing home or somebody—there was always a connection in some way, like, ‘Oh, my great uncle was in a nursing home for a while and he would have loved this.'” She added, “So, it gives them the chance to be creative and to also tap into the love that we all know they have.”

Karla plans to keep honoring her mom through this tradition, with one simple goal: to love like Judy.