One of the my favorite things about covering stationery is that every day is truly new. One week I will be at a market geeking out on cutting-edge card design, the next I’ll be cooling my heels on a Zoom call for the Greeting Card Association’s Public Affairs Committee, hearing about the next Keep US Posted Mother’s Day event on Capitol Hill. During this year’s, scheduled for May 6, elected officials can pick, write and send a free pre-stamped Mother’s Day card. That for 2025 will encompass two separate events on the Senate and House sides of Capitol Hill. We have learned that the event provides a welcome break from the sometimes contentious mood in DC. Here’s a shot from last year’s event.
While I was at Atlanta Market in January, I learned of another Mother’s Day card-sending promotion from Lindsay Henry of Inklings Paperie that she participated in last year — this one for prisoners. I was completely intrigued, but since we were at a rather lively dinner with several other paper nerds, I didn’t learn much more. Once we all went home, Lindsay connected me with Nicole Juranek, a community college professor, mom, wife — and enormous advocate for those behind bars.
“I’ve spent most of my adulthood volunteering in prisons and jails in the Iowa-Nebraska area,” Nicole wrote me. “A few years ago, I was reading a book about a person who worked at a card company who happened to drive by a prison every day on the way to work. This person decided to donate cards to the prison. So … I realized that since I’m volunteering at my county jail library every week, I should ask a card company for some donations. I emailed 10 companies — and received one amazing, generous response from Lindsay!”
Nicole finds Mother’s Day really resonates amongst the inmates. My gut tells me that just like on Capitol Hill, doing a kindness for Mom provides a welcome break from the sometimes contentious mood. To that end, I am thrilled to help Nicole solicit more cards and stamps for this year’s mailing.
Nicole explained her simple set-up: “Each inmate receives one card to send to their mother, mother of their kids, grandmother, or mother figure. I distribute the cards, stamp them at home since inmates aren’t allowed to receive a stamp, and send them off!”
Here’s Nicole with last year’s dispatch from Pottawattamie County Jail.
Clearly I had questions for both Nicole — and Lindsay!
SS: How did you first get involved with volunteering in prisons and jails?
NJ: I had a calling to volunteer in my mid-twenties. I know that sounds bizarre, but I thought about it non-stop. I grappled with this idea, questioning myself, asking, “Who would willingly go into a prison?” I finally called the Omaha Correctional Center and filled out all of the paperwork to volunteer.
I soon met a nun, Sister Marian, who was running a program called The Anti-Violence Project. I trained with her and she took me under her wing. My first walk across the “yard” was with Sister Marian — a 5-foot-tall, 80-year-old nun — and a correctional officer. My heart raced that first time as doors locked behind us, but volunteering in jail has been such a wonderful experience.
I knew Sister Marian and I were going to become fast friends and help others. When I started volunteering, the volunteer coordinator said, “Are you ready to walk on water?” I was taken aback by her Jesus reference. But she told me volunteers are treated with extreme kindness because inmates know a volunteer must have a good heart if they willingly come into prison to spend time with inmates and help them learn new skills. I had lunch on the weekends in the mess hall with inmates. Just Sister Marian and I having lunch with hundreds of men in khaki jumpsuits. In the last 20 years, I’ve never had an inmate say or do anything inappropriate. I am treated with such kindness, and I hope they feel that from me, too.
SS: You mentioned that you have conducted card drives for prisoners to send holiday cards, Father’s Day cards and Mother’s Day cards — but you have said that Mother’s Day cards are particularly meaningful. Why do you think that is?
NJ: [In every mailing], each inmate receives one card to send to the person of their choice. There was a stark difference in the number of Mother’s Day cards versus Father’s Day cards. There were almost double the amount of cards to mothers/motherly figures than cards to father/father figures. My only rationale was that some inmates may have less of a relationship with their fathers instead of their mothers. Research points out a high percentage of incarcerated people do not have stable father figures in their life.
SS: Have you heard any feedback from prisoners about these drives?
NJ: Honestly, I haven’t gotten any feedback, but the supervisor of the volunteers is grateful that inmates get free cards because some people have no money. And even if they have local friends and family, it takes time to get that money on their books. The inmates don’t know I’m the “card lady” so they wouldn’t talk to me about the cards. They just think I’m the “book lady.”
SS: From your experiences as a volunteer, what kind of access do prisoners have to greeting cards? Do they always have to be stamped by an outsider? Why is this?
Inmates can purchase cards and stamps through commissary, but only if they have money on “their books.” So, if they enter jail with money in their pockets or have friends/family who are sending them money, they have access to cards and any other commissary such as toiletries or snacks. I chose to stamp their cards because if I gave every inmate a stamp ahead of time, they could use them to trade/barter for other goods. I stamp them myself so that stamps don’t get into the jail and cause issues with inmates. If every inmate put their stamp together, they could jam up an electronic door and create problems.
SS: Is there anything else you would like to share with Paper Nerd readers?
NJ: A handwritten card is still a beautiful, thoughtful gesture. And when you’re down on your luck in jail or missing your loved one in jail, I can only imagine receiving a hand-written card is something they can look at and know that brighter days are ahead.
SS: How can brands wanting to donate cards or stamps get involved?
NJ: Let me know! I am an operation of ONE (unless you count my husband and two teenage sons who carry and count a lot of books for me) and you can directly reach out to me to donate. The answer is always yes, I will take your help! When I started the Mother’s Day card project, I emailed 10 card companies. Two said no, seven ignored my email, and Lindsay was the only one who said YES! I read her email saying how she wanted to get involved with tears rolling down my face because somehow good people are always out there!
Here’s a view of last year’s batch again — those Inklings envelopes are literally bursting with love!
I am so grateful to Lindsay for connecting me with Nicole. As the maker leading this charge, I had some questions for her as well.
SS: Several makers ignored Nicole’s initial email, but not you. Why?
LH: As product-based business owners, we often receive numerous emails and DMs requesting free items for school auctions, event swag bags, etc., with the promise of exposure. Unlike larger corporations, small businesses often do not have a dedicated budget for charitable donations, so they must be selective about how much free product they can send each year and focus on causes that are meaningful to them.
I tend to gravitate toward donation requests that feel the most personal, as well as causes and organizations that are near and dear to my heart. I don’t expect anything in return, but I love knowing that what we send makes an impact. Nicole’s outreach email was particularly compelling because of her deep personal investment in the cause. She shared her experience of working as a volunteer in prisons for over twenty years, along with her specific goal to help 300 inmates connect with their loved ones on Mother’s Day.
I could donate 300 cards for event swag bags, or I could donate 300 cards that would directly impact the relationships of incarcerated individuals. It was an easy “yes” when I realized we had an SKU we were discontinuing with remaining inventory.
SS: A lot of people overlook the impact these cards may have — which for a lot of paper nerds, is why we were drawn to stationery in the first place. I would love to hear in your own words what you hope your donation accomplishes.
LH: As much as I love a beautiful card, I believe what matters most are the words written inside. A greeting card is a vehicle for connection, supporting the relationships that matter most to us.
In the case of this project, I love that each card represents a relationship. One of the images Nicole shared with us after the cards had been addressed and mailed really struck me. A sender had covered the back of their envelope with notes: “Happy Mother’s Day. Happy Birthday as well!” along with a Bible verse and an illustration of a flower. They took great care to use every inch of that envelope for their message, and I can only imagine that the note inside was just as thoughtful.
If our donation of cards (which pales in comparison to the time Nicole has dedicated) helps mend or strengthen even one relationship, it will have been worth it.
SS: Is there anything else you would like to share with Paper Nerd readers about this important project?
LH: This project has made me wonder how inmates access greeting cards in the first place. How do they send a card to their mother or child to let them know they remembered their birthday? I’d be curious to know whether prison systems provide for this or if there’s another way we, as an industry, could help support it.
Nicole closed by sharing, “My heart is just full, knowing you are both helping and willing to donate! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Even though I don’t know the impact this project has on others, I know that these little gestures are helping people stay connected during the hardest times in their lives.”
Reach out to Nicole at njuranek@iwcc.edu. I know of one card company that has already signed on to donate in addition to Inklings Paperie, but I know others will want to jump aboard as well with the generosity our community is known for. Please feel free to cc: me at sarah@thepapernerd.com on any correspondence with Nicole. I would like to help and support as I can!
