Years ago, when Sunset Hills resident and  hospital social worker Aleeza Granote was working, she noticed a lack of support for some patients.

“It just really broke my heart because there were so many sick patients, so many terminal patients, and they literally had no support. They had no one to even pick them up from the hospital and take them home — they were a widow, their relative lived out of town. If people aren’t even coming to visit them at the hospital, and people aren’t even coming to pick them up, then obviously nobody is really calling to check on them,” Granote said.

Knowing that cancer is hard enough on not just the physical health, but also the mental health of those diagnosed, an idea sparked in Granote: send homemade cards with words of encouragement to those patients who need cheering up. Starting with a small goal of sending 50 cards, Granote quickly saw the impact of community organizing when 50 soon became 100.

“I was like, whoa … this might work,” she said.

Since 2010, Granote’s nonprofit, Card Care Connection, has grown from a small local organization into a nationwide network of more than 400 volunteers. Over 90,000 unique handmade cards have been distributed across the country, each matching the personality of the designated patient. Patients’ interests are discovered through the organization’s required referral form, filled out by family members, professional agencies or the patient themselves.

“As a social worker, I know sometimes making referrals to charities — there’s so much red tape. You have to be in this zip code, you have to have this income, you have to live here, you have to be single, whatever. There’s so many restrictions. When I made this program, because I’m a social worker, there’s no restrictions. The only qualification is you have to live in the United States, and you have to have cancer,” Granote said.

From the beginning, Granote wanted each card to be personal. This led her to spend approximately one year searching for card makers to ensure a variety of styles and themes.

“If you like butterflies, or you like the color purple, or you like hockey, or you like unicorns, or hummingbirds — I want to find a card for that person,” she said. “We get kids, adults, men, women, teenagers — it can be anyone. Right now, we’re getting so many referrals. It’s really, in my opinion, taken off.”

As far as what’s written in the cards, each has a positive note penned by one of seven local volunteers. Card Care Connection volunteers are split into two groups: those who make the cards, totaling approximately 400 across the U.S., and those who write notes. The seven note writers — aside from Granote’s mother, who resides in Minnesota — live in St. Louis.

“A lot of our volunteers — specifically the card makers, which I did not anticipate — are actually cancer survivors. I did not anticipate that at all. Not everyone, but many said how touched they were that people thought of them during their treatment, and they want to give back,” Granote said.

Card Care Connection has also recently expanded its services, sending seasonal care packages to local hospice houses, cancer centers and different cancer organizations. An outing program has also taken off locally, in which families impacted by cancer are taken to attractions such as the Magic House, the circus and Grant’s Farm.

“I feel super sad, because there’s so many cancer patients out there, but grateful that we can reach them and connect with them. We get so many responses back from the people getting the cards, saying how touched they were, this meant so much to them, they’re so grateful, because they just don’t have a good support system, or that the cancer has been really isolating,” Granote said.

To celebrate all she’s done for the community, Granote was selected as a 2026 Woman of Achievement. She and the other nine honorees will be celebrated at the 2026 Women of Achievement Award Luncheon, held May 19 at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis. Founded in 1955, the St. Louis Women of Achievement Award is the oldest ongoing program in the area whose sole mission is to honor and recognize the volunteer service and volunteer leadership of women. Granote is the only recipient from South County; other women honored come from St. Louis, St. Charles, St. Peters, Florissant and Washington, Missouri.

“Through this wonderful honor, I’ve met a lot of really wonderful people that are also equally doing exceptional work in St. Louis. I think it’s nice to just celebrate each other,” Granote said. “It’s not really about the recognition. It’s really about helping people …  All these volunteers really support the program, so it’s really for all of them as well. They believe in the mission, and they want to help, so I really thank them, to be honest.”