During February in a gently lit classroom, students of many majors gathered with snacks on rolling desks and waited for instructions on volunteering to make cards for children in hospitals. Communication Club Officer Mackenzie Raddatz and Letters of Love Officer Abbie Nowlan gave instructions. Phrases such as, “Stay strong!” or “You’ll get better!” were not encouragements because the children who would receive these cards have serious illnesses and are sometimes in hospice care.
“That is so sad,” a young woman said quietly at the end of the presentation.
Volunteers grabbed a rainbow of different colored paper and markers and set to work. Many students looked up inspiration photos and created cute and colorful pictures of animals with kind messages that reminded the kids how good they are and how loved they are. To bring laughter, one student used the jokes his dad told him to decorate the walls of his cards. Students enjoyed their time together and grew their compassion and understanding through this event.
“COMM Club aims to cultivate community through hosting fun activities and career-building events,” said COMM Club’s president Anna Elijah. “My event coordinator Mackenzie had the idea to collaborate with Letters of Love to host card-making.”
Letters of Love and the COMM Club emphasized making high quality cards using images and language that focused on self worth and creating a moment of refuge from the seriousness of the illnesses the children face. In this way, UMD students shined.
“Anna Elijah and the team of leaders assembled in the UMD Communication Club know how to get things done!” said Dr. David Gore, a Communication professor and the faculty advisor for the COMM Club. “They are regularly hosting events on campus and in the community. Their recent event partnering with Letters of Love brought UMD students out to write letters to children battling serious illnesses. An event like this really highlights Anna's thoughtfulness, compassion, and strong desire to build community.”
Halfway through the event, Professor Jean Farrell, a senior instructor of Communication at UMD, brought in her entire Interpersonal Communication class to help the volunteer effort. With the addition of her students, the volunteer work poured out into the hallway and into another classroom.
At the end of the event, UMD students gathered all of the cards they made to be sent off to children’s hospitals across the United States.
In addition to being the president of the Communication Club, Anna Elijah is a senior in Communication and Spanish Studies. After graduation this spring she is seeking an immersive experience in a Spanish-speaking country and a certification in Project Management to prepare for her career.
“This event encapsulated the club’s original vision of fostering a space to gather together and contribute to the community,” Anna Elijah said.
Communication’s Club next event is their Alumni Panel on Wednesday, April 15 at 4pm in AB Anderson room 445. To learn more or contact the Letters of Love or the COMM Club, go to Bulldog Connect.
