A handwritten card can be a small gesture, but senior Grace Long said she hopes it can make a meaningful difference in the lives of children facing serious illnesses.
Long, a biology major with a pre-med concentration, recently started the Newman Letters of Love Club, which is focused on creating handmade cards for children experiencing serious and life-threatening medical conditions.
The club is affiliated with Letters of Love Global, a nonprofit organization with chapters and clubs at colleges and high schools across the country. The organization distributes handmade cards to children in hospitals to provide encouragement and support.
Long discovered the organization while scrolling through Instagram and recognized an opportunity to bring its mission to Newman.
“I thought it was such a beautiful idea because it was so simple,” Long said. “People were making handmade cards, but those cards were making a real difference in the lives of children facing serious illnesses.”
After reaching out to Letters of Love Global, Long said she received approval to establish a club at Newman. The organization was approved by the Student Government Association’s Clubs Committee and later received final approval from SGA.
Long serves as president, alongside vice president Katy Wilson, treasurer Jenna Ju and Secretary Emi Alvarez. Jessica Hylton, Newman’s Director of Navigator, serves as the club's adviser.
The club's primary activity is creating cards that feature positive messages, colorful designs and jokes intended to brighten a child's day. Members are encouraged to personalize each card through drawings, decorations and uplifting words.
The completed cards are sent to Letters of Love Global, which distributes them to hospitals around the area. Before the cards are sent, club members review them to ensure they meet the organization's guidelines for appropriate messages and designs.
Long said she hopes the cards provide children with a reminder that people care about them, even if they have never met.
“We cannot take away what these children and their families are going through, but we can remind them that they are loved and that people are thinking about them,” Long said.
The club recently held its first card-making event in partnership with the Newman women's soccer team. Long, who also plays on the team, said seeing the cards created by her teammates reinforced her decision to bring the organization to campus.
“Looking through the cards everyone made was honestly an emotional experience,” Long said. “You could see how much thought, creativity and care people put into each one.”
Long said she hopes the club provides Newman students with an opportunity to connect with one another through service. With classes, assignments and other responsibilities competing for students' time, she wants the club to offer a welcoming environment where students can take a break and do something meaningful.
Meetings will include card-making activities, music and treats. No artistic experience or official club membership is required to participate.
“I hope Letters of Love can be a place where students can come together, enjoy one another's company, and know that even an hour of their time can make a difference in a child's day,” Long said.
The club is planning its first general meeting for November and hopes to collaborate with additional campus organizations and athletic teams to increase participation.
Students can follow the club on Instagram at @lettersoflovenu for updates about meeting dates, times and locations.
Photo: Courtesy Letters of Love
