By: Jaclyn Weber-Hiil TLP Letter Writer Connection for the disconnected The year of 2020 was a challenge for me. I was dealing with the “new normal” of a pandemic but I was also forced to confront my lowest point of mental health head-on. I began talk therapy in August 2020 and am still actively going. In therapy, I talk a lot about myself, but my first therapist decided to send me on the journey of talking to others. My anxiety was very severe at that point in my treatment and I needed to be taken out of my own head and find the connection that I was missing so much in a world where social di ..read more

By: Stephanie Hartline TLP Letter Writer I’ve experienced the joy of wearing many hats through my life: wife, mom, student, writer, gardener, fitness instructor, and one that I’ve worn the longest: teacher. My profession as a high school English teacher has become such an integral part of my persona that I sometimes feel that I want to wear a sign in the summer that says, ”I’m a teacher” just so people know that I really do work hard—I’m just taking a short break for a while. Unnecessarily, people apologize for their speech or writing when they know they are talking with an English teacher. “M ..read more

Written By: Emily Winter, The Letter Project Board Member “… But I also worry about people who cruise through life, friction-free, for a long, long time before encountering their first real failure. They have so little practice falling and getting up again… I see a lot of invisibly vulnerable high-achievers stumble in young adulthood and struggle to get up again. I call them the “fragile perfects…” …these bright and wonderful people know how to succeed but not how to fail.” – Grit, by Angela Duckworth   The frightening imperfect paragraph: Lately, I have been in a funk, or more like a ..read more

By: Kaniz Sumiya TLP Letter Writer Not an Introvert For a long time, I thought I was introverted, that I just kept to myself because I didn’t want to bother speaking. Really, that was what I told myself, a means of consolation. The truth was that I shook at the mere thought of making friends, speaking to people, and having to maintain eye contact with someone. In fact, one of the most awful parts of high school was an activity in which our teacher forced us to shout as loud as we could, an activity to release our tension. I was able to shout, but my insecurities had straight-up attacked me, an ..read more

By: Brenna Malmberg, PunkPost Article about The Letter Project The Letter Project Empowers Girls With Snail Mail (x PunkPost) “When we stumbled upon The Letter Project, we immediately had to learn more. It’s a nonprofit that empowers women of all ages through the power of snail mail. That concept is so rad, so we caught up with the organization’s Executive Director Paige Thompson to learn more and let you know how you could get involved.” (MORE HERE) Why Is The Letter Project Great for Snail Mail Lovers? It's a great way for women who love to write to write more. We provide our volunteers wit ..read more

It’s an absolute honor to get to be the Executive Director of The Letter Project. Part of my work includes sharing the great things our volunteer writers do by lifting up girls and women going through hard times. Recently, I was featured as “Someone You Should Know” by Dakota News Now and had the immense honor of sharing the good news about our work here at The Letter Project. Check out the interview here. We want to continue to meet those struggling and growing is vital to that goal. If you have an idea for a media interview or public relations initiative, please email me ..read more

By: Mahiya Agarwal TLP Letter Writer The Letter Project = Send With Love The purpose of The Letter Project, of sending letters to girls around the world, is to send with love. And that is exactly what it does. Amidst the pandemic, I was looking for a virtual opportunity to volunteer for a good cause. This is how I came across The Letter Project. I had never heard of such a cause and found it inspiring, which is why I wanted to contribute to such an empowering organization. I began writing letters for girls all around the world, just as the other letter writers do. The Letter Project helped me ..read more

Written By: Emily Winter, The Letter Project Board Member  Love is not a frenzied, desperate act. It is not a thing that bestows worth upon a person. The worth must come first, mined mostly on one's own. -Places I Stopped on the Way Home: A Memoir of Chaos and Grace March is Women’s History month, which calls for some self-love. Showing up for yourself enables you to show up for others. As Dr. Nicole LePera puts it, “To experience authentic relationships you need to work on being one with your own authenticity.” Let us use March as a time to not merely accept the differences we see bet ..read more

By Carmen Vazquez Garcia   TLP Letter Writer My experience writing for The Letter Project (in English) Some time ago I was looking for the opportunity to belong as a volunteer writing letters of support and I found The Letter Project. I loved the mission and what it stands for and did not hesitate to register immediately as soon as I was accepted as a letter writer. I started writing letters and soon discovered that when you write to help others, you heal yourself too. It is a process where you discover that others have also gone through similar situations in life. It is a rewarding exper ..read more

Written By: Dawsyn Ayt (@joypassport @dawsynayt) - Have you ever wished upon a star for something you really wanted and had it come true?   When I was in my first year in college, I sat on a grassy field in Ohio staring at a star contemplating what I wanted to wish for. I told my boyfriend, “I want a better relationship with my grandmother.”   The very next day, I began writing her letters. That was the extent of my plan until I saved enough money to send her care packages of snacks, holiday-themed décor, and stuffed animals. Next, I made weekly phone calls. My grandmother picked up ..read more