As the impact of COVID-19 grows every day, senior and Letters of Love president Maggie Klaers said Letters of Love has the ability to make a greater impact than ever before.

“Now more than ever, kids need some extra emotional support because without that extra friend or sibling coming in to play or a volunteer spending some time with them, it gets kind of lonely,” Klaers said. “So (the hospitals are) giving out a lot of Play-Doh and a lot of cards as a way to keep up that emotional support.”

According to junior and Letters of Love board member Maddie Schutte, making digital cards is a great way to continue supporting kids in the hospital without any risk of spreading COVID-19.

“Making digital cards is such a nice way to make sure they know that they’re being supported without possibly putting their health at risk and having volunteers coming around,” Schutte said.

Schutte said making the digital cards is also a great way for students to stay involved and continue to make a difference through this unprecedented time.

“It’s also nice for students to be participating in the Letters of Love challenge because it’s a good way for us to stay connected and you’re doing something from home,” Schutte said. “There’s a lot of people suffering right now and it feels like there’s not a lot we can do.”

Senior Amelia Ryan said she decided to make the digital cards because she liked the idea of being able to do something she enjoyed while making a difference and earning hours for National Honor Society.

“Doing art is always really relaxing for me and gets my mind off of things,” Ryan said. “I’m glad that I could do art while also helping and making a positive impact, and then another bonus is getting my hours in for the National Honor Society.”

Klaers said when making cards, paper is allowed but she recommends using an app on your phone.

“You can still make them on paper if that’s something that you’re more comfortable with. In that case, you just snap a picture and send it to either myself or any other board members,” Klaers said. “Or you can download apps like Sketchbook … really any digital drawing app that you can find on the App Store.”

According to Schutte, there are multiple ways you can share your digital cards including through the Park letters of Love Instagram, @slp.lettersoflove.

“You can DM it to us (on Instagram), you can (text us) if you have one of our numbers, you can send it to us or you can post it on your story and tag us,” Schutte said.

Klaers said any donation to the Play-Doh drive can help and can improve a kid’s day.

“If anyone wants to donate to the Play-Doh drive, you just Venmo @lettersoflove, and even $1 can buy one kid Play-Doh and make a kid happy,” Klaers said.

According to Schutte, although Letters of Love is specifically for kids in the hospital, it is important to thank those who continue to help the kids through this hard time.

“It’s super important that we are not only thanking and making letters for the children in the hospital, but also all the doctors and nurses and everyone who’s making it possible for them to stay safe,” Schutte said.