Letters of Love: Two Rivers Students Spread Kindness

Thanks to Clothesline Laundromat and Block Portrait Studios for their support.

It’s a week before the holiday break and about 50 high school students show up to school 45 minutes early to make cards for kids in the hospital. Letters of Love is a feel-good story that seems too good to be true. 

Even hearing donuts will no longer be provided doesn’t diminish the enthusiasm—“It’s good news, the group keeps growing.”

“It’s helped me grow into a better person,” said co-president Hannah Corbett. “I want to emulate what the club is about—be nice and kind and show love in everyday life.”

How Did It Start?

Corbett and co-president Kelsey Appelbaum started Letters of Love at Two Rivers High School last year as sophomores. 

“I love writing cards—I write letters to my grandma,” said Appelbaum, showing that today’s generation is not entirely digital.

• Serendipity: A mutual friend was doing Letters of Love at another school and Applebaum and Corbett heard about it independently and started texting this friend at the same time.
• Success: It started in a classroom with a dozen friends, now they’ve moved to Warrior Hall and regularly have more than 50 students show up.
• Growth: “Starting it felt scary—what if no one cares?” Corbett said. “As underclassmen you feel out of place—smaller. But watching it grow was really satisfying.”

How’s It Work?

The students show up early once a month and make cards. It’s not much more complicated than that.

• Direction: They give students general direction to keep it appropriate, not mention specific holidays, etc.—“Make it something you want to receive.”
• Theme: Most meetings have a theme. This month’s theme was winter. 
• Sorting: After each event the cards are sorted and screened, then sent off to the Letters of Love national organization to be distributed to hospitals.
• Organization: The group has a six-member student board and a faculty advisor (Hannah’s mom, teacher Angela Corbett—but she says the students do all the work). They run their own social media with a few hundred followers.

The Difference a Card Can Make

• Impact: “It doesn’t seem like a huge deal, but then you see how it affects the kids receiving them,” said Corbett. “We had a member last year who said this club meant so much to him because he was a kid in the hospital getting letters like this, so he knew the impact.”
• Overflow: “It makes me so happy just talking about it,” said Appelbaum. “It gives another reason to be nice and positive in real life.”
• Broad draw: Letters of Love draws a diverse cross-section of the student body. “Most clubs are for people interested in specific things,” said Corbett. “This is for helping people and showing more love.”
• Connections: The mix of students creates new connections that might not otherwise happen. “It’s nice to meet them in a different setting,” Appelbaum said. “Some people will sit with a new person each time.”

Why Get Involved?

We asked several students why they come to school early to make cards:

• “I like drawing a lot. It’s nice to see my friends and do good together.” -Caroline, 9th grade
• “It’s really fun. It’s good to spread joy.” -Brady, 11th grade
• “It helps out the community. It makes kids feel better who are going through a lot.” -John, 11th grade
• “Spread joy. Being able to make someone’s day.” -Mia, 9th grade
• “It’s a good feeling, waking up in the morning and spreading love.” -Alex, 12th grade

Letters of Love National Organization

• Letters of Love is a nonprofit organization that sends cards to patients in children’s hospitals. 
• Their mission is to “change the world with kindness, one card at a time.”
• The organization started in Minnesota, but has 100 high schools and 75 colleges participating, with cards coming from 17 different countries. So far they’ve sent more than 200,000 cards to 30 different hospitals.

You can follow Two Rivers High School Letters of Love on Instagram to see their latest cards.

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