Love comes in different shapes, colors and formats – and letters.
With colorful crayons and papers spread on the tables, students drew an orange heart, a heart bouquet, pink coquette bows, colorful hearts, heart balloons, flowers, lollipops, XOXO’s and the words “you are loved” on letters.
These hand-crafted cards are written by those who believe in the “art of a handwritten letter.”
With the sound of “The Love Club” by Lorde and “Home” by Good Neighbours, sipping on Poppi soda and having sweet treats from North Lime Coffee and Donuts, people gather together for one cause: love.
Letters of Love is a worldwide nonprofit organization dedicated to providing emotional support through letters to children facing serious illnesses.
When Grace Berbig lost her mother to leukemia, she founded the organization to keep her mother’s “power of letters” legacy.
Whether in lunchboxes or on pillows, Berbig said her mom, Amanda, used to write little notes to her and her sisters, which has created a special memory.
“These little notes are my most prized possessions now — the only love I have left from my mom,” Berbig said on the organization’s website.
Following in their mother’s steps, the daughters said they filled their mom’s hospital walls with love and support through piles of cards while she was battling leukemia.
Beyond the hospital, the nonprofit expanded from the Children’s Hospital of Minnesota to Lexington with around 180 members in GroupMe in 2025.
Inspired by Berbig’s story, Penelope Steffek-Lynch, a University of Kentucky journalism and sports communication student, brought Letters of Love to UK’s campus in September 2024.
“Giving them (participants) a chance to be able to give back is just an incredible experience,” Steffek-Lynch said. “Knowing that I was able to do that is very special and that is really why I do this.”
Steffek-Lynch had her eyes opened to a new possibility by a friend from Minnesota who works with the global team.
“I looked for it (Letters of Love) at Kentucky, we didn’t have one,” Steffek-Lynch said. “And I was like, well, all these other schools have it, I would love to bring that here.”
A new commitment, however, brings a new responsibility and with that the need to have more people.
“It’s a lot of work,” Steffek-Lynch said. “There’s more things that go into this kind of thing that I would have even imagined.”
Steffek-Lynch found a UK sophomore majoring in integrated strategic communications, Mackenzie Mastalarz, the current vice president of community relations, who was moved by the same principles of helping children by spreading kindness and love.
“My dad always used to tell me how much a small act of kindness can go,” Mastalarz said. “I think that these kids are looking for something like that to lean on, and these small few words of kindness can really make their day when they’re feeling lonely and hopeless.”
People can “feel the love” in the meetings, according to Mastalarz.
“It’s not supposed to be a pressure thing, it’s just a fun little thing you can do with your friends that makes you feel good and makes the children in the hospitals feel good,” Steffek-Lynch said.
Letters of Love weaves a new tapestry of unity through a welcoming environment, according to Steffek-Lynch.
“We want to spread that love, we want to continue to grow our club,” Mastalarz said.
This welcoming environment allowed an older UK teacher to come into the first meeting.
He interacted with other students and made cards, some with little knock-knock jokes.
Mastalarz said it was the cutest thing she had ever seen as he came in to show his love and support for the children.
“That wasn’t something that I was expecting,” Steffek-Lynch said. “To see that the club that I brought here is affecting even more people than just students, I thought it was really special.”
In the digital era in which people are surrounded by screens, a handwritten letter brings a new touch of love.
“You’re physically writing on the piece of paper, it comes more from the heart, and people can actually see how you’re expressing your emotion,” Mastalarz said.
One of the organization’s policies is to include the writer’s name and school to make the letters more personal and heartfelt, demonstrating that people are dedicating time to them.
“Support does actually matter and taking the time to do things still shows an effort,” Steffek-Lynch said.
Some instructions are given to the participants on what to say in the letters.
“Keep fighting,” “stay strong” and “keep swimming” are some of the expressions that writers must avoid.
The club recognizes those phrases can be triggering and discouraging, the opposite of what they are aiming for. According to Mastalarz, writing one or two more meaningful cards is better than rushing to make 10.
“Imagine a kid opening up the card and their reaction,” Mastalarz said. “You want it to be heartfelt.”
In February, children will receive these hand-crafted letters in celebration of the month of love.
“When people think of Valentine’s Day, we want them to think of Letters of Love,” Mastalarz said.
