Courtney Mihalsky wanted to see some happy faces again.

Students across the country are missing a final piece of the 2019-20 school year. For many seniors, it should have been packed with memories and experiences that would have lasted a lifetime.

Nobody can give that to them, but Mihalsky is spreading some positive across Schuylkill County. With the help of her friend Kelly Wentz, they started the Schuylkill County Adopt-A-Senior Facebook group.

“I came across one that was for all across Pennsylvania,” Mihalsky said. “I thought that it was kind of scary matching people up from so far apart, so I decided to personalize it a bit more. Schuylkill County, it seems like everyone knows each other - you feel that way sometimes. Definitely seeing a lot of seniors feeling bad; missing prom and graduation. I was just looking for something nice to go to make them feel special.”

The group is private - you must be invited by a current member to join. Once approved, a student can post an “about me” blurb with a photo. A parent or guardian can also post on behalf of any younger Schuylkill student.

“It started off as Adopt-A-Senior and then we kind of allowed it to add kindergarten graduates, maybe some of the kids that were graduating from elementary or middle school, or middle school to high school,” Mihalsky said. “It’s been amazing. The reaction that we’ve gotten from a lot of people - the kind words that people are leaving. The seniors sign on, and within seconds, they’re gone. We can’t keep a senior on the page, they’re ‘adopted’ so quickly.”

It’s then up to the adopter to message the student.

“What they do from there is message whoever posted and find out what they like, what they’re interested in, if they have any favorite snacks or restaurants - where they stop for gas and anything they can do to help,” Mihalsky said. “People have been making gift baskets and filling them up. People are doing porch drops; we’re encouraging them right now, because we aren’t really allowed to get together. Some others are ordering through Amazon and having it delivered. It’s kind of what the families are most comfortable with.”

Mihalsky, a Schuylkill Haven graduate, and her group administrators, are constantly monitoring the group for any type of suspicious behavior. After only a week of existence, the Schuylkill County Adopt-A-Senior group has over 2,600 members.

“People are posting after pictures of kids and the packages or what they received. That smile, we can’t decide which is our favorite.”