Abby Rose Sugnet opened her mailbox to find an anonymous letter. She was stressed, tired and felt as though she wasn’t doing enough for her co-workers.

Then, she read the letter, which was from the anonymous sender. The handwritten letter showered Sugnet with compliments and praised her for her hard work.

The letter would later inspire Sugnet to do the same for someone else. The sophomore magazine journalism major has started a chapter of the organization More Love Letters at Syracuse University. More Love Letters is a national organization in which people can nominate others to receive a bundle of hand-written motivational letters.

“I still have it — I brought it to school. I always look at it whenever I need it,” Sugnet said of the letter.

If a person is selected, hundreds of strangers nationally and internationally can write to them as an anonymous friend. Nominators provide a brief biography with details about the person so each pick-me-up can be tailored to a specific recipient.

When it comes to college and universities, More Love Letters is known as Campus Cursive. Students can nominate others to be surprised with a care package of letters from the campus community.

Sugnet decided to start a chapter of Campus Cursive at SU when browsing the More Love Letters website. Over 60 other high schools and universities had already started their own chapters.

“I love everything about More Love Letters,” Sugnet said. “It starts with this pep talk about how you can do this, that you’ve been chosen to do this, and about how everyone’s there with you, and how there’ll be people there helping you to start this.”

Sugnet is not alone in her endeavors and her passion for the project. Sophomore magazine journalism major Naomi Duttweiler has teamed up with her and taken on a cabinet position as vice president/co-chair and secretary.

“Because it’s such a huge school, I think a lot of times people can kind of slip through the cracks and feel underappreciated, or like they’re having a hard time and they’re alone,” Duttweiler said. “Even if it is anonymous, it’s still nice to know that you’re not alone.”

One member of the organization is Abby Hamilton, a freshman entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises major. Hamilton started a Facebook page in her sophomore year of high school called “T.C. Compliments,” named for her high school, T.C. Williams High School in Virginia, which allowed students to anonymously submit compliments about each other. She remembers the experience as empowering, and has found a new outlet here at SU.

The group already has interested members, and two people have been nominated to receive letters so far. Hamilton was one of the first to nominate a friend, whom letters are currently in the process of being written for.

“I got to see how just one, small, positive movement can make such an impact on a campus,” Hamilton said. “I really see Campus Cursive growing and becoming something that shows the best part of Syracuse.”

All of the current members said they hope to spread the word about the new organization and get as many others involved as possible to spread the love.

Said Sugnet: “It doesn’t really matter if people really know about you on a personal level, just to know that people care about you no matter what.”

Published on January 27, 2016 at 10:24 pm

Contact Karli: kgasteig@syr.edu