Reach Out, a new organization on campus, wants to show support for U.S. troops with a letter writing campaign.
The group compiles lists of both U.S. soldiers and University students and faculty, who write letters to the troops, much like having a pen pal.
Participants can write either a general community letter or to an individual person.
Organizers Deana Swaney and Jeff Nolish said they began the letter-writing campaign last week, and they have signed up more than 50 individuals.
“The purpose of this organization is to foster both intellectual and spiritual exploration and growth, and to act to create a more just world through service, leadership development and environmental and social change,” Nolish said.
Saturday, Nolish said he is anticipating at least 30 or 40 more writers to sign up for the program.
He said that he and Deana made the decision to write letters to troops because of her love for writing. After a recent trip home, he found his mom writing a soldier, and Nolish then asked Swaney if she thought they could start more than just a letter writing — instead, a letter writing campaign to the troops.
“We feel this is important because we support our troops with words and wishes, but we felt compelled to produce something physical,” Nolish said.
Nolish said that he feels the program could benefit writers by providing emotional catharsis. The campaign provides an environment where students write alongside 30 to 50 people, some other students and faculty, in what Nolish thinks could be a therapeutic setting.
“We hope to benefit the soldiers (University affiliated as well as those not affiliated) by letting them know that they, whether stateside or abroad, are recognized and appreciated for their efforts and endurance,” Nolish said.
He intends for the writer to provide supportive statements to the troops along with the latest mainstream news that is not related to war.
The group has yet to see how the government-issued notice to reduce the number of letters going overseas will affect the campaign.
“However, the majority of troops’ addresses that we have collected,” Deana Swaney, group organizer said, “from the BGSU community are not overseas so we will still be writing to all of the troops that we have received addresses for.”
“Noting all this, Deana and myself have decided to continue to go through with our campaign of writing our troops,” Nolish said. “However, if things don’t work out we will still feel good about out efforts, trying something we both very much believe in and have had and will continue to have the best intentions for.”
Reach out will be having a letter writing gathering at The UCF Center, 313 Thurstin Ave, across from Sorority Row every Saturday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Those who cannot attend may drop their letters off at the UCF center.