‘Orange Mailbox Project’ connects New Hanover County youth with pen pals

NEW HANOVER, NC (WWAY) —A new initiative hoping to connect local youth through letters, has orange mail boxes popping up throughout New Hanover County.

The Harrelson Center and the New Hanover Resiliency Task Force have partnered for their new initiative, “The Orange Mailbox Project”.

Orange mailboxes are now being placed at multiple non-profit organizations, and youth program locations throughout New Hanover County for a summer letter writing program.

“We noticed the orange was described to with joy, and enthusiasm, freedom, harmony, and we need that , as what we wanted to express with our youth in New Hanover County,” said Christy Aley, Harrelson Center community outreach coordinator.

The organizations hosting the mailboxes will lead letter writing with middle school and high school students.

The initiative hopes to develop diverse connections, friendships, and encourage local youth to express themselves through creative writing, as they write their new pen pals.

“The 15th of every month, they’ll be in exchange. It will be strategically exchanged, so these organizations that have children, that they would not be otherwise have the opportunity to connect with each other,” said Aley.

Kenneth Wallace, a youth development professional with the Boys and Girls Club Brigade, one of the eight location’s participating in the initiative, says helping students connect with pen pals will be beneficial for their social skills.

“Coming right off of COVID, it was obviously really difficult to have those communications and those relationships with other people especially if they weren’t in your immediate family in your house. So, be able to give them the opportunity to further talk to people outside of their…this community that they’re currently present in, we’re super excited,” said Kenneth Wallace, Boys and Girls Club Brigade youth development professional.

He also said it will be a great opportunity for them to learn about other cultures in the county.

“I think it’s definitely a learning experience just because they’re just so many different cultures and communities that we can look at within the New Hanover,” said Wallace.

The orange mailboxes will stay up until September. If participating children want to meet with their pen pals, program leaders will help connect them either in-person or through “Zoom.”