PORT ANGELES — The art of crafting love letters will receive a boost, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
A love-letter-writing party is set from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at Thriving on the Olympic Peninsula’s headquarters at 116 N. Laurel St., Suite 202.
A second child-friendly love-letter event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Port Angeles Farmers Market at The Gateway, corner of Lincoln and Front streets.
Music, treats, coffee, tea and letter-writing supplies will be available.
“Finding a letter of encouragement in the mail or tucked unexpectedly in the unlikeliest of places is sometimes all we need when in doubt or feeling down on our luck,” life coach Mindy Amita Aisling said.
“Imagine receiving this note anonymously, as if some magical force out there knew exactly what you needed to hear and wanted you to know that you’re special and loved.”
Letters will be hidden and distributed around the Olympic Peninsula throughout February.
In February 2013, three Port Angeles “life coaches,” Kristin Halberg, Aisling and Marie McCartney, hosted their first love-letter-writing at the Port Angeles Library.
Happy communication
Nearly 60 people participated to write and randomly distribute love letters to strangers.
Hundreds of people found an anonymous “love letter” tucked away in downtown Port Angeles last year.
This year, hundreds more will find their own happy communication.
“People seem to be a little mystified by the idea of writing love letters to strangers until they find one themselves,” Halberg said.
Organizers of the effort said they enjoy the mood that the letter-writing campaign has created in the community.
“I can’t tell you how awesome it feels when people find out I was one of the hosts of last year’s party and then tell me that they were having a bad day until they found one of the letters,” Halberg said.
‘Double ripple effect’
“They all say it completely brightened their day. Plus, it makes my day to hear about it,” she added.
“That’s the power of the double ripple effect of this project.”
For those who cannot attend either party but know someone who might benefit from receiving a letter anonymously, special drop boxes have been set up to submit recipient names, addresses and a brief note explaining the desired focus of the letters.
The boxes are located at the Olympic Peninsula YMCA, 302 S. Francis St.; Peninsula Daily News offices, 305 W. First St.; or at Thriving on the Olympic Peninsula headquarters until Thursday afternoon, as well as online at www.thrivingontheop.com.
