Florida State University is home to 785 organizations and clubs on campus. However, only one of these clubs sends boxes filled with love (literally) to children in need all around the country. The Box of Love club is filled with a lot of kind hearts, happy children, and constant love and appreciation.
Alexis Colby created and founded this club in her high school back in Ohio. Colby “just wanted a way to remind kids that they’re loved, important, and not alone.” The boxes feature sewn hearts with fabric, candy, toys, and other items to remind children who are going through a hard time that people do care about them. Colby’s first Box of Love was sent to a little girl with a kidney disease.
Though Colby has not heard direct feedback from the kids, she has received dozens of thank-you notes and photos from the distributors. The kids are always extremely excited and happy in the photos. Sometimes, kids just need to know that somebody cares about them, even if at the time it doesn’t feel that way.
Some of the other children receiving “boxes of love” are kids from homes of poverty, those whose siblings or parents have been diagnosed with some type of cancer or disease, or even a teenager going through a breakup. Boxes are typically sent to kids aged 2-18, but Colby said she could work with any age.
Members of Box of Love not only participate in assembling the boxes, but also sponsor other events and activities on campus. Last year, they held a day in the union called “Day of Love” dedicated simply to loving yourself and others. On this day, participants could stop by in the Union to write some kind words and snap a picture inside their photo frame. This year, the Box of Love Crew is planning to host many more similar events, ranging from events just for members of the club and for anyone on campus.
In addition to spreading positivity through events and boxes, the Box of Love club stays active on their Facebook page constantly. Not only do they post reminders about events and happenings with the club and around campus, but they show love through quotes and photos weekly. These quotes are a good way to remind us that sometimes, even college students need a reminder that we are loved and that somebody cares about us.
Courtesy: https://www.facebook.com/boxofloveatfsu/?fref=ts
The club meets every other Wednesday in the Dunlap Success Center. In addition to the bi-weekly meetings, members meet at certain periods of time throughout the year to package and distribute the boxes to the kids.
What these people do is pretty great! So, if you have an hour to spare every other week and a passion for making a positive impact on kids, this is a great way to get involved with something new.
Visit the Box of Love Facebook Page for more information!