Stories of Valentine's past

COEUR d'ALENE - Helen Gifford smiled as she held a cluster of hand-made, red paper, heart-shaped Valentine's Day greetings.

"I'm going to put holes in these, and put thread through them, and hang them, and let them twirl," said Gifford, a resident of Loyalton of Coeur d'Alene.

Gifford and about two dozen other residents of the retirement and assisted living facility on Anton Avenue were shot by Cupid's Arrow Monday when 18 fourth-grade students from Holy Family Catholic School brought them a Valentine's Day party.

The 9- and- 10-year-old students came with cake and cards. They also spent some time chatting with the residents, asking them to share their Valentine's Day memories.

"We used to like to go dancing. We were square dancers," said Phyllis Anderson, her husband, Myles, sitting nearby.

For some of the Loyalton residents, just interacting with the young students was the greatest Valentine's Day gift of all.

"To see all those kids, to be happy and smiling, it makes me happy," said resident Charles Devenyi. "Unfortunately, my daughter has no children, but this makes me think of when she was a child, and that was a very special time because we escaped from the Russian occupation."

Devenyi, who came to the United States from Hungary, told the Holy Family students that the day of hearts, chocolate and flowers is celebrated in many countries around the world.

Instead of having the traditional classroom Valentine's Day party, where they usually eat cupcakes and exchange cards with each other, the fourth-grade students chose to give some love away this year.

"I think it's cool that we decided to do this," said Andrew McInnis, 9.

Parent Danielle Matoy said the fourth-grade room mothers let the kids choose how they would celebrate the day.

"For them to give up their own party and do this is amazing. Just that makes it all the more special," Matoy said.