Join the Campaign for Love and Forgiveness: Send a Handwritten Letter Today

In response to events abroad and at home, the Fetzer Institute is launching a national Campaign for Love & Forgiveness, an inclusive, nonpartisan project that invites everyone to think about and connect on the topics of love and forgiveness with the goal of effecting meaningful change in individuals and communities.

Kalamazoo, MI (PRWEB) November 3, 2006 -- Americans are all too familiar with suffering in our world today. The headlines -- war in Iraq, 9/11, terrorism, natural disasters, violence in the Middle-East -- have left many people feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of it all and asking, "What can I do?"

In response to events abroad and at home, the Fetzer Institute is launching a national Campaign for Love & Forgiveness, an inclusive, nonpartisan project that invites everyone to think about and connect on the topics of love and forgiveness with the goal of effecting meaningful change in individuals and communities.

Our hope is that by raising awareness of the power of love and forgiveness, we will inspire positive changes at home, at work and in the communities where we live.

People interested in joining the Campaign for Love & Forgiveness can start by taking a pause from e-mail and phone calls to handwrite a note in November to someone they care about.

Often treasured objects, letters preserve history, stories and family memories. But what was once a primary mode of communication is becoming a lost art form. The campaign seeks to revive this art and, as part of its launch, encourages participation in its letter-writing initiative, reminding people that a letter written from the heart can become a thoughtful practice that helps one stay connected -- or reconnect -- with cherished friends and family.

"The best way to communicate your feelings to loved ones is by writing," says Lilia Fallgatter, author of The Most Important Letter You Will Ever Write. "Telling someone 'I love you' is not enough to communicate what a person truly means to you," she adds. After losing a dear friend to cancer, Fallgatter wrote her a long-overdue letter. Fallgatter regrets not having written the letter sooner and has since made a career of teaching others the importance of letter writing.

Sue Lindstrom, founder and CEO of Paper Source, a seller of fine handmade papers, believes the impact of a letter, written with ink on beautiful paper, is unmatched by any other communication. "While electronic correspondence certainly has its place in this modern world," Lindstrom says, "there's simply no equal to a treasured letter." In support of the Campaign for Love & Forgiveness, Paper Source will conduct letter-writing workshops in their retail stores throughout the country and create a special love and forgiveness stationery portfolio to be sold in Paper Source stores and online at www.paper-source.com.

The following letter writing tips are offered by author Lilia Fallgatter:

• Before picking up a pen, create surroundings that will evoke the inspiration to write.
• Make a deliberate effort to clear and quiet your mind and focus on the person to whom you are writing.
• Create a list of memories or significant occasions and events you have shared with the person.
And from Paper Source:

• Enclose a photo your recipient might have forgotten about or has never seen, or perhaps a ticket stub from the play you saw together.
• Write from the heart, tell a story, remind them of your history together or a favorite time. Share one thing about that person you admire.
• Choose beautiful paper to write on and a pen you enjoy writing with. Coordinate your postage stamp with your envelope color or the theme of your letter. If you can draw, sketch or doodle, add something from yourself.
• Email has made it easy to jot down a few words, spell check and hit send. But when handwriting a special note, use a scratch pad and draft your letter first. Save your good stationery until you have a clean draft to copy.

The Campaign for Love & Forgiveness is a project of the Fetzer Institute (www.fetzer.org). Partners include the Public Programs Office of the American Library Association, six public broadcasting stations, Gather.comTM and Paper Source.

A nonprofit foundation established by John E. Fetzer, a broadcast pioneer and former owner of the Detroit Tigers, the Fetzer Institute's work rests on its conviction that love and forgiveness can transform and heal individuals and communities. Mickey Olivanti, Fetzer's program officer directing the campaign, explains, "Our hope is that by raising awareness of the power of love and forgiveness, we will inspire positive changes at home, at work and in the communities where we live."

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