One letter can brighten someone’s day. That’s what junior Julia Matthews believes, and that’s what drew her to be involved with Letters of Love.

Letters of Love is a nonprofit organization with the goal to “give emotional support for every child battling cancer and other illnesses,” and ever since she learned about it, Matthews knew she wanted to start a chapter here at the high school.

With the help of fellow juniors and now–officers Kenzie Meadows, Cassie Max, Alexis Stern and Sophia Schwob who all shared the same interest, Matthews was able to make her goal a reality and held the club’s first meeting last November.

Each of the officers’ desire to start the club lacks no connection. “We’ve all known somebody we’ve lost from cancer, so it just means a lot to us as a whole,” explains Meadows. “She was my neighbor, She was my friend.” 

That friend was Kate Fronek, and after she was diagnosed with Leukemia five years ago, Meadows and the others were among the community that came together to support her. Matthews recalls delivering her a letter with the signatures of all the fellow seventh graders she could find. Stern, with the rest of Fronek’s soccer team, helped decorate for her a huge banner. Fronek loved it. “She even told us that meant the world to her,” Stern says.

Witnessing Fronek’s gratitude showed Matthews and the other officers how much that support can truly matter, not just for Fronek, but also for anyone going through a similar situation.“I want to be able to bring more joy to other people who might not be doing so well or might not have the same community behind them,” says Matthews.

Members of Letter of Love will be able to do that by, as the name suggests, sending letters. Letters can send a powerful message, according to Max. “It shows that you took time out of your day to sit down and write something personal to them,” she says.

“Whenever they need that extra encouragement it’s always there for them,” adds Stern. “And it can last however long they want it to last.”

Anyone, from any grade or skill level, can take part this year by making letters for events, and from there, the officers will collect and send out the cards. An officer will also sign twenty minutes of volunteer hours for each card a participant creates. 

For their first event during November, Matthews and the officers decided to send letters to firefighters in Eden Prairie. Although the foundation of the club is to help patients, as Matthews explains, the events’ focus can really be for anyone who could use the extra recognition. 

Whether it be cancer patients, hospital workers, teachers, and even bus drivers, Matthews’s and the others’ goal is to “try and support people that, maybe, don’t get appreciated as much as they should.”

Schwob agrees. “Show them that they’re not having to go through something so hard by themselves. They have a whole group of random people that they don’t even know that are supporting them.” Besides, she says, “No one gets enough love. There’s never too much love getting spread around.”

This December’s event, members will be able to create letters for hospital patients. Students interested in taking part in the club can join their Groupme with this page: https://90305914.wixsite.com/lettersoflovep/get-involved and find more information about meetings on their instagram: @lettersofloveep