NDSU’s chapter of Letters of Love student organization allows students to create handmade greeting cards with heartfelt messages to help uplift hospitalized children in the community.
NDSU’s chapter is part of Letters of Love Global, an international non-profit organization that provides emotional support to patients in children’s hospitals across the world. The organization started in 2018, with its first meeting being held in Orono, 明尼苏达州. Letters of Love Global now has 173 active clubs, 99 of which are in high schools and 74 are in colleges.
艾娃Krekelberg, the president of Letters of Love at NDSU, said she was involved in her high school’s chapter, which inspired her to start the organization on campus in 2022 with the help of Samantha Tate, 俱乐部的副主席. The club meets once a month at night to provide flexibility for more students to join.
“I’m super busy and I know a lot of students here who have classes and work are super busy, but they also want to be involved in something,克雷克尔伯格说, a senior psychology major from Prior Lake, 明尼苏达州. “And so a once-a-month club that actually makes a difference is really great to have here.”
从一开始, Krekelberg said there have been a lot of students interested in attending the meetings.
“We’ve definitely seen a lot of interest in the club and we see a lot of new faces every month and a lot of returning, 这太棒了,”她说。.
Around 200 cards are made during each meeting. The cards are then sent to Letters of Love Global, whose staff gives each card an official sticker, and then distributes them to the children’s hospital closest to the university. In Fargo, Sanford Children’s Hospital receives the cards.
Knowing that each card is going to a child in the community makes Krekelberg happy. She said it’s reminiscent of when she made Valentine’s cards for her classmates in elementary school.
“I just know how much it means to get a handwritten card or to just see that people outside your care team are showing you appreciation, 这真是暖心啊,”她说。. “Especially seeing people that come to this club every month and how they get excited, ask questions and really put detail into it. It feels really good and fulfilling.”
Other student organizations also have expressed interest in collaborating with NDSU’s Letters of Love. NDSU的鞍肉和西冷, along with Kappa Delta and Delta Tau Delta collaborated to help make holiday-themed cards last semester.
NDSU’s chapter holds two fundraisers each year to raise money, which goes directly to Letters of Love Global to fund the craft supplies and mailing fees.
Krekelberg said she sees a lot of NDSU students volunteering on campus.
“Through myNDSU I see so many other organizations that either do philanthropy or just try to get everybody involved in different volunteer activities,”她说。. “I feel like a lot of the organizations on campus are good at spreading the word about how to get involved in these things. We get so many messages and if you speak with somebody one-on-one, they get really excited about getting involved with anything volunteer-wise. 我们有一个非常好的社区.”
The Letters of Love meetings are open to all students. Supplies are provided to make the cards, along with snacks for students to enjoy while crafting. Anyone interested in learning more can find additional information, including when and where the next meetings are held, 在 情书NDSU Instagram 和 myNDSU.
参观校园 or 马上申请 to be part of one of NDSU’s service-oriented student organizations.
