ROCKWALL, Texas — When was the last time you received a handwritten card? In this texting world, it's becoming a rarity, but former students of Sherry Hamm can count on receiving one on their birthdays every year.
The retired elementary school teacher from Rockwall ISD sends nearly 2,000 handwritten cards to former students annually. Many are grown now with children of their own, like Elaine Ricker who keeps all her cards in a special box.
"It just makes you feel special." Ricker said, "My daughter is in fourth grade now, and she just can't believe my fourth-grade teacher still sends me cards."
Hamm says she started the tradition after her first class graduated and she wanted her to know they were still loved. "I didn't want them to think I forgot about them," Hamm said.
No one knows the exact number, but the wife and grandmother has sent tens of thousands of cards over her lifetime. Her husband Paul says she always carries a tote with supplies even when they're on vacation.
"We average about five or six cards a day," Hamm said.
If the cards weren't enough, Sherry works at Rockwall County Helping hands as their food pantry manager. Coworkers say she shows up early, stays later and will go above and beyond to help anyone in need.
Other former students shared stories of Sherry quietly stepping into help. Whether it was finding dental care for the uninsured or helping immigrant families find English classes and land jobs, Sherry would do what it took, with no fanfare.
Sherry's family says she's inspired by her Christian faith, a faith she lives out every single day. In all her actions she lets people know "they matter," now those people want Sherry to know just how much she matters too.