University of North Carolina (UNC) athletes are making a difference both on and off the field.
The UNC student athlete pen pal program was created in 2013 by UNC alumna Zoe Skinner. The idea for the program came when Skinner was volunteering at New Hope Elementary School after having been injured and left unable to play.
Skinner used the time to demonstrate leadership and volunteerism by combining her passions of letter writing and community service. “The art of letter writing is dying, and this is a good way to save it, as well as help students who struggle with writing in elementary school,” Skinner said.
The program has since spread from 100 to 300 students athletes in six years.
UNC’s pen pal program has also given former Chapel Hill High School athletes the chance to share their love of sports with elementary schoolers. One of those alumni is UNC senior Frances Reuland, who has been involved in the program for three years.
“The program is a rewarding way to stay connected to the community, and remember that not everything that happens in Chapel Hill revolves around the University,” Reuland said. UNC senior Kyle Murphy is the liaison between the collegiate athletes and the elementary schoolers. “I drop [the letters] off, pick them up, hang out at recess and feel like a little kid again,” Murphy said.
The elementary school teachers have noticed better behavior from their students, especially when the athletes come to visit their pen pals.
Skinner wishes to see this program spread to other colleges and high schools in hopes of developing similar connections that UNC students have with their pen pals.
