Between practices with the tennis team, demanding coursework and leading a newly established student organization, sophomore Abi Peyman, an elementary education major, has learned to balance competition with compassion.

While she is known among teammates for her work ethic on the court, many students recognize Peyman as the president and founder of Wartburg’s Letters of Love chapter, a nonprofit organization dedicated to writing encouraging letters to patients in children’s hospitals.

“Letters of Love is an organization that provides emotional support to children battling serious illnesses through the creation of hand-crafted, heartfelt letters,” Peyman says. “They aim to build a community of love and kindness, empowering young people to change the world one card at a time. They have sent over 425,000 cards to patients in pediatric hospitals around the world.”

That mission quickly resonated with her, prompting the idea to bring a Letters of Love chapter to campus.

“I had heard of some people at other colleges who were a part of it, so I did some research on their website to see if it was an option to start my own chapter, and I ran with it,” says Peyman.

For Peyman, the cause was more than just another extracurricular activity. A personal experience solidified her commitment to the student organization.

“At our last meeting, I was tallying up the number of people who showed up, and I counted about 40 people. It was a big ‘wow’ moment for me as I realized this is something that people really want to be a part of and will show up to do,” says Peyman.

One of Peyman’s first major decisions as president was asking fellow tennis teammate, Brooke Bloom, to serve as treasurer.

Bloom, who is a sophomore majoring in business administration with a concentration in finance, says the decision to work together came naturally.

“Abi brought this idea to me last school year, and I thought that it was an amazing idea that I wanted to be a part of,” Bloom says. “Abi does all the grunt work for the club, and I pretty much just show up and tell her she’s doing amazing.”

Bloom describes the way Peyman runs Letters of Love as organized, intentional and deeply people-centered, noting that she balances her detailed planning with truly cherishing every member involved.

“She takes initiative and is a great communicator. She is always doing unnoticed things behind the scenes, which sometimes I don’t even know about. She is very much someone who gets things done without needing recognition for it,” says Bloom.

Sharing a spot on the tennis roster has strengthened their partnership off the court as well. Both Peyman and Bloom share that being teammates has strengthened the way they work together, and the discipline and communication learned through athletics translate into leadership skills.

Since its launch, Wartburg’s Letters of Love chapter has touched dozens of students and recipients alike.

“I can clearly see that it brings people a lot of joy. Not very often, as 20-year-olds, do we get to sit together and color, draw and write jokes. It’s a great time to escape busy schedules and worries and take a moment to relax,” says Peyman.

Bloom believes the organization fills an important role on campus. Students who attend meetings often leave with a new perspective.

“This club offers a really great opportunity, especially for those who struggle to join clubs, which can be difficult due to time commitment. It gives students an opportunity to stop by, have some snacks, make a card and truly make a difference,” says Bloom.

As the chapter continues to establish itself, Peyman has high hopes for its future.

“I want this to be one of the bigger organizations on campus, even if it is past my time,” Peyman says. “It is a very easy organization to be a part of, and I would love to get the participation rates up so it can become even more well-known.”

Students interested in joining Letters of Love can simply show up to any meeting, as they have a come-and-go structure. Meeting dates, times and additional information can be found on their Instagram, @lettersoflove_wartburg. Peyman encourages students with any questions regarding the club to reach out to her via email at [email protected].