Letters of Love, MSU’s newest club on campus

Letters of Love, now at Minnesota State, offers the opportunity to make a difference in a child’s life through creativity.

LOL is a non-profit organization that has sent over 100,000 cards to patients in children’s hospitals across the world. One of their missions is to make an impact through the cards they create.

LOL President Macie Martin said she was inspired to bring this type of club to campus because of the significance a paper card could hold. 

“They (the kids) receive a lot of support from their family, but not as much from the community. So to have them see that the people care and know about them definitely will make an impact on someone who may be in the hospital for a significant amount of time,” Martin said.

Anyone from any major is welcome to join.  LOL also invites people to join regardless if they are a student of MSU or not.

“It’s a good way to get involved with the school and it also is not a huge commitment,” Martin said.

Hosting their first meeting Monday, roughly 40 people were in attendance and made about 150 cards for children.

“This is our first time doing something like this. We are really happy with the amount of people who came because we only expected ten,” vice president of LOL, Angie Paredes Ramos said.

Pursuing a career in physical education and developmental adapted physical activity, Paredes Ramos said joining LOL was an easy decision as her future occupation will revolve around students.

“If any of my students were in the position these kids are in, I would want them to receive this kind of love and realize there are people out there who care, even if they don’t know them,” Paredes Ramos said.

Having an easy way to meet others while relaxing by coloring attracted many students to join.

“It’s an easy way to volunteer and to meet people while also making the world a better place,” Paredes Ramos said.

For some, this is the first club they have joined since being at MSU.

“It surprised me how many people came for the first meeting but also didn’t because it is such a good cause,” LOL member and nursing major Madison Jones said. 

Currently in her first semester of the nursing program, she said she knew LOL’s values aligned with her future career.

“I want to go into pediatrics for nursing so I want to work with kids and to see them happy even while going through a hard time,” Jones said. “The minute I heard they were going to kids in hospitals I was like ‘Oh even better’.”

LOL will host a fundraiser this semester for the global LOL foundation. Those interested in joining can find LOL on Involve U MSU.

Header photo: Roughly 40 students attended Letters of Love MSU’s first meeting. Creating cards for children in long-term health facilities LOL has sent over 100,000 cards to patients in total. (Julia Lin/The Reporter)

Write to Julia Lin at julia.barton@mnsu.edu