Handwritten Inspiring Letters for Cancer Patients

10 letters may receive 1 service hour
1 special/pop-up card may receive 1 hour (see tutorials below)

A thoughtful activity to show a stranger that you are rooting for them with long and thoughtful letters! Please refer to the samples provided below for what we mean and our suggested guidelines here.

Priorities

• Handwritten positive, inspiring letters, starting with "Dear friend," "Hi there," "Hi friend," etc.
• Long letters (NOT just a phrase or two) that include “on behalf of Sonia and Kits to Heart”
• Letters using the language in the samples below. You may repeat letters/artwork.
• Use of cardstock paper and greeting card-sized paper. Store-bought cards with your own letters and artwork inside are welcome, though please be sure to write letters, not only a quote or two!
• Envelopes are NOT required. We do not need blank envelopes when you submit your cards, but if you’d like to donate larger envelopes, please shop directly via our Amazon Wish List!

We Do Not Accept

NOTE: We genuinely appreciate the hard work of all of our volunteers, but due to various sensitivities of our wide range of recipients, we need to prioritize appropriate, non-offensive, and thoughtful letters to patients. This means that we cannot accept:

• Spiritual or religious references, as we do not know the preferences of the recipients.
• Letters encouraging "quick recovery" or "get well soon," due to the nature of some cancers.
• Letters with calendar dates or references to specific holidays; exceptions only made upon request.
• Letters written in pencil or bright highlighters (difficult to read).
• Writing that someone you know passed away from cancer—stay optimistic!
• Letters on notebook/lined paper, printer paper, construction paper, or index cards.
• Cards with just a phrase or two (this is more of a guideline for those expecting service hours). Please use samples provided below to see the longer letters expected.
• Ongoing correspondence to only one patient (this is currently not a pen pal service—just a one-time gift).
• Photocopies or printed letters.

Each (1) letter made with the following styles may receive 1 service hour!

Collage Tutorials

• 4 Ways to Turn Paper Scraps into Beautiful Cards
• 5 Fun Fold Cards
• 8 Ways to Use Patterned Papers
• Vintage Collage Cards Tutorial

Special Tutorials

• Basketful of Hearts
• Spiral Heart Pop-Up Card
• Handmade Waterfall Pull Me Card
• Flower Pop-Up Card 1
• Flower Pop-Up Card 2
• Piano Pop-Up Card
• Various Pop-Up Card Tutorials

Suggested Materials

Kits to Heart earns from qualifying Amazon purchases, which supports our mission at no extra cost to you.

• White cardstock
• Colored cardstock
• Scrapbooking paper
• 15-pack Zebra pen/highlighter
• Scrapbook paper and stickers
• Glue stick and scissors for the scrapbook paper
• Inspirational stickers
• Motivational stickers
• Floral stickers
• Dried pressed flowers
• For large groups: colored cardstock (pack of 250), washable markers (pack of 40)

Samples (zoom in to view in detail; view more samples here—log out of your school/work account if having access issues!)

How to Submit

Please follow these steps to ensure your work is received!