Valentine’s Day is a time to show your loved ones that you care. Flowers and candies are nice ways to show that affection, but perhaps something personal and handmade might make a greater impact.
Writing a letter to that special someone, whether they are near or far, might be just the thing to make that person’s day.
The Letter Writers Alliance group is an organization that could help you do just that.
Matthew Manella, of the Cherry Hill LWA group, has recently started a group in Moorestown. The LWA group of Moorestown will meet at the Moorestown Library from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Feb. 18. Although it is a little after Valentine’s Day, that doesn’t mean you can’t still send a letter.
The LWA is a non-profit organization started in Chicago by two business owners, Kathy Zadrozny and Donovan Beeson, who wanted to preserve the art of letter writing. It is doing its part to bring attention to slowing down and being thoughtful in your writing to people you care about.
“It is about giving back to the art of writing letters to your family and loved ones,” Manella said.
Manella decided to start an LWA group of his own in Cherry Hill and now in Moorestown for two reasons. The first reason was he missed writing and receiving letters, especially around the holidays. Manella’s grandfather was an avid writer for most of his 90 years. When his grandfather passed away about a year ago, he did some organizing and found a bunch of letters from his grandfather. He noticed how much more thoughtful and meaningful those letters were than an email or text message.
“There is more of a loss of translation from an email or text message because they can be written so quickly. It lacks a certain amount of care. I missed sending and receiving letters. I have children of my own, and I was sad to learn that they might not learn cursive. It made me think of losing the art of writing letters,” Manella said.
His second reason for starting these LWA groups was to help others. Manella, being a financial planner, noticed that many people do so much for their family, providing for and protecting them, but no one is aware of it. He wanted people to realize they should communicate these accomplishments and feelings of why they did what they did, in a personal letter or ethical will, otherwise it will be all for naught.
Manella hopes the LWA groups help people find time to sit down and write letters. Just like the gym, it is something you just need to get started and get into the habit of setting aside time. And for an hour and a half, once a month, it doesn’t seem like too much of a time commitment.
“Unless you carve out the time to do these things, it is not going to happen. What better place than a quiet library to write a letter?” Manella said.
According to Manella, it isn’t hard to write a letter. All you need is to figure out your audience, decide what you would like to communicate, write the letter and repeat.
“It is that simple. It’s one of the simplest clubs you can think of, and it is more fun when you do it together,” Manella said.
The LWA in Moorestown meets the third Wednesday of every month while Cherry Hill’s meets the fourth Tuesday of every month. At the meetings, Manella will offer suggestions to spur attendees’ creative juices to write letters. Also, he will provide resources to help newcomers get started with letter writing.
All attendees are asked just to bring their favorite writing utensil, paper, an envelope and a stamp as well as an open heart. Sending a handwritten, meaningful letter to someone you care about makes him or her realize how much he or she means to you, and it may arrive just in time.
“Letters won’t write themselves. Come out and spend an hour and a half writing the letters you know you should be writing,” Manella said.
Some supplies will be provided, but participants are urged to bring their favorite letter writing materials.
This event is free and open to the public. Please call the Moorestown Library Reference Desk at (856) 234–0333 to reserve your spot or for more information. You can also register online at www.moorestown.lib.nj.us.
To learn more about the LWA and letter writing, visit the website www.letterwritersalliance. com.
