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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the purpose of ShareaCard?
A: Simple....to bring comfort
and hope to the seriously ill and help them to not feel so
alone. It means so much to them to receive mail and know that
others are thinking of them and praying for them.
Q:
Do I qualify to be a Feature?
A:
Sometimes, people feel they are not sick enough to be a
Feature or that they are giving up on their family member if
they submit them. This is not true! All of our Features are at
various stages of their illness. You do not have to be
terminally ill in order to be a Feature. In fact, we have many
Features who go into remission! We are just here to help send
you encouragement no matter what stage of your illness you are
in. Who doesn't like to receive mail??!!
Q: What kind of cards do I send?
A: We ask that you not send "Get Well"
cards. Most of our features are seriously ill and need
encouragement/thinking of you/praying for you type of cards.
There are some great suggestions on our
ShareaCard Tips Forum Board if you need a place to start.
Q: I'm mailing more than one card, how do I
send them?
A: If mailing more
than one card: You may place the Feature's name on the
individual envelope with NO postage and place the cards into a
bigger envelope with the appropriate postage.
Q: What is the ShareaCard stamp and how do
I use it?
A: The ShareaCard
stamp is sent to you when we approve your membership. Some
members chose to use it to make a return mailing label
signifying that their card came from ShareaCard. Using the
stamp is strictly optional.
Q: How can I have someone I know featured?
A: Just click on the "Submit a
Feature" tab at the top of any page and submit the appropriate
form. Your request will them be reviewed and replied to within
3-7 days.
Q: How can I participate?
A: Just send cards! We have a
list of "active" features under the "Our Features" tab on each
page. The current feature will appear on the right hand side
of the page. Just click on his/her name and you will see the
mailing information, along with their likes and hobbies to
help in choosing a theme for their cards, if desired.
Q: Do I have to be a member to send cards
to features?
A: Yes, but's simple to do! You
can join
HERE! Once you become a member, you are eligible for our
occasional prize giveaways and mailings. Be sure to sign up
for our Blog
too!
Q: What is "inactive" status?
A: A feature becomes inactive if
we haven't had a current update within the last 6 months or if
they are in good health and have gone into remission. They may
become active again at anytime by sending us an update. Update
forms are available under the "Submit a Feature" tab on each
page.
Q: What is the Holiday Card Project?
A: We know that the holidays can be depressing for those
who are ill. We all are doing our holiday activities while
those who are ill are shut in. Every October we announce a
list of active features and post it to the website. We ask for
Christmas cards to be mailed to our features. You can mail to
one or ALL of our features! Your cards can be homemade or
store bought, we don't care! They are all collected by Cindy
at the Post Office box until early December. Sometime during
the 2nd week of December, Cindy and I get together and Ewww
and Awww over the hundreds and hundreds of amazing cards sent!
Generally, the cards arrive in big envelopes so we sort them
and place them accordingly into a HUGE envelope with each
feature's name and address on it. Then, we load up the bags
and bags of cards and head to the Post Office to send them off
for our features to enjoy! It certainly puts us in the holiday
spirit once we see all the cards! But we can't do it without
you!
Q: Will I hear back from the features I
send cards to?
A:
ShareaCard is not a penpal program so you won't personally
hear back from our Features. It is a part of the SAC process
for Features to keep us updated a minimum of once every 6
months. We always post these updates on the forums, the yahoo
group and/or our newsletter. To keep everyone's privacy safe
all communication should come through SAC.
Q: Why do all the cards get sent to the
ShareaCard post office box?
A: For security reasons. We
don't want to disclose addresses on the website so we have a
post office box set up that Cindy checks regularly. She then
disperses the cards at intervals each month to our Feature's
home mailing address.
Q: Can I send gifts to the features?
A: Certainly! Sometimes,
participants enclose bookmarks or items directly into their
cards. Kids, in particular, love to receive little goodies.
Stickers are a real hit! We only ask that you don't enclose
any advertising materials/or solicitation items, as well as
vitamin/health remedies etc...
Q: Do I have to make cards or can I send
store bought cards?
A: You can send ANY cards! We
all lead busy lives so we have no problem with you sending a
store bought card. It's the thought and intent behind the card
that matters.
Q: Who do I contact if I have further
questions?
A: You may contact us by using
the form located in the
Contact Us area.
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