Hannah Brencher

Hannah Brencher, an Assumption College alum (where my brother went to school), is becoming a well-know name in the fight to end different aspects of depression; whether an illness, the loss of a loved one, or simply feeling lost. A girl battling the disease herself, was overwhelmed moving to the Big Apple upon graduating. She found comfort in the letters her mother would write her, starting back to when she was in college. As her emotional rollercoaster ensued, writing letters became Hannah's own outlet and something she began to share anonymously with strangers throughout the city.

Hannah began writing letters on the train to individuals who seemed like they, too, could use a boost. She would leave them all over the city–crooked into cafes, libraries and even coat pockets. Hannah began blogging about the love letter writing and her future began to unfold. She watched as her inbox became a vault for letter requests from all over the world. In the span of 9 months, Hannah wrote and mailed over 400 love letters to people in need around the globe. And in the process, she herself, began to heal.

This journey has taught Hannah so much in such a short amount of time. She has discovered that no matter how tough we act, we all still need a love letter from time to time. That even in a world crammed tight into 140-characters and constant status updates, there is a still a great craving for the handwritten note. But most of all, Hannah learned with certainty, that the world needs far more than just her own love letters. This epiphany led to the start of Hannah's website More Love Letters.

As Hannah once did, More Love Letters helps leave love letters all over the world for others to be blessed by. They ask that you write letters for Love Letter Bundles for people you’ll probably never meet. And also invite you to nominate someone you know for a Love Letter Bundle. More Love Letter's mission is to create the most miraculous experience for people when they need it most: hundreds of letters of support and encouragement showing up at someone’s door all because someone in their own life loved them enough to just ask for those love letters.

My favorite initiative Hannah and More Love Letters has is starting campus chapters. "We believe in college students and the power they have to be the hands and feet of our little movement" says More Love Letters. If this initiative has not already started at your college campus, you can apply to join today! Hannah was recently featured on the Meredith Vieira Show where she shared her story. She has also written a memoir, If You Find This Letter, about her experiences and her hopes for the future of More Love Letters.

We are so thankful there are people in this world like Hannah Brencher and encourage others to devour the details in the same way she has! We wish Hannah and More Love Letters the best of luck in their continued efforts to bring happiness to anyone and everyone in need of a little light. I also plan on contributing some letters myself, as well as getting the high schoolers I coach involved. Also, special thanks to my brother for sharing this wonderful story with me!