85-year-old neighbor helps 11-year-old turn animal sketches into greeting cards

Riley Haughey views the process of putting markers to paper as a form of magic. The 11-year-old fifth grader draws colorful animals she labels Riley’s Critters from her kitchen table in Lansing, Michigan. Each drawing is destined to become a greeting card.

The project began when Riley’s family needed an affordable way to print the artwork. They wanted the proceeds to pay for her dance classes. Tony Klain, an 85-year-old neighbor, offered to handle the printing and preparation of the images at his home office.

Klain has known the Haughey family for six years. They were backyard neighbors before the current arrangement began. Whitney Haughey, Riley’s mother, described Klain as kind. She recalled him saying, “I can do it,” when the family discussed their budget constraints.

The two have no formal family ties. Klain has no grandchildren of his own. The partnership is built on a shared appreciation for detailed visual work. Klain uses Photoshop to clean up imperfections in Riley’s sketches. He preserves her specific brush strokes and her signature mark, a paw print shaped like a heart.

“I don’t like to change what she’s done,” Klain said. He refers to the animals by name as he works. One current project is a squirrel he calls Cherry. Klain’s connection to the work is personal. His late wife, Phoebe, created similar drawings.

After Phoebe died, she left behind journals filled with neat drawings. Klain used his digital skills to scan those images and create a collection of monthly calendars. He found comfort in the artistic connection to his wife. “Actually, when my wife died, she left a whole bunch of journals, and she did a lot of really neat drawings and stuff,” Klain said.

The collaboration continues in Klain’s home office. He uploads Riley’s new art and prepares it for print. Riley reviews the finished products and offers approval. “It looks good,” she said. Klain finds the work rewarding. “Makes my day every time I do it,” he said.