XAVIER PREP STUDENTS WRITE LETTERS, GIVE BLESSINGS TO OUR TROOPS

XAVIER PREP STUDENTS WRITE LETTERS, GIVE BLESSINGS TO OUR TROOPS

Students at Xavier College Preparatory are used to putting the pen to the paper. Recently the young women of Xavier were spotted writing furiously, but this time they weren’t taking notes, writing essays, or completing homework assignments. They were writing letters to American soldiers serving overseas this holiday season.

Xavier senior Stephanie Woodward organized the letter-writing project after her friend Sienna Frisch, also a senior at Xavier, gave her a similar idea. A student council member, Stephanie envisioned the project as a school-wide service opportunity.

“I wanted us to reach out to soldiers to thank them, give our blessings and prayers for a safe return, and acknowledge their bravery and courage,” said Stephanie. “The Xavier girls agreed and we had wonderful participation.”

Sienna and her mother, Nan Frisch, provided all the cards needed for the letters. Stephanie also partnered with a Brophy College Preparatory student to include the letters with a shipment of Brophy’s “Santa for Soldiers” care packages. Xavier senior student council members distributed cards to each homeroom class, collected and read through them, and Stephanie gave the letters to her friend at Brophy to be shipped. Xavier students wrote about 800 letters that were sent to soldiers throughout Iraq.

“Although everyone has different views on the war, many girls just wanted to write a nice letter to the soldiers and wish them a Merry Christmas. I thought that was wonderful,” Stephanie said. “I had girls asking me if they could write more letters. One letter can really have a positive effect on a lonely soldier.”

Stephanie knows that this letter-writing project positively impacted both American troops overseas and the students who wrote letters.

“The soldiers are so far removed from us and are doing such a difficult job, that some may feel they are forgotten,” she said. “We have received gracious replies from troop leaders telling us how absolutely uplifting it was to receive such kind letters from people they had never met. They told us it calmed their nerves from the bombs in the background.”

“I feel a project like this supports Xavier’s Catholic mission because, as a school, it helps us to become more aware of what is happening overseas,” said Stephanie. “Together, we can make a small difference in the lives of the people that are protecting us. We helped to make over 800 soldiers have a brighter Christmas.”