The UNM branch of the Public Relations Student Society of America will be at the Duck Pond at noon today encouraging the University community to write "Letters of Hope" to those directly affected by recent terrorist attacks on the East Coast.
The public relations group, which began the "Letters of Hope" campaign Wednesday, also will accept letters at the Communication and Journalism Department's office today. The group requests that people write "A Letter of Hope" on the front of their letters so they can be distinguished from other documents.
The letters will go to the Red Cross, police and fire departments and hospitals in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, where the attacks occurred.
"If someone could just write a letter and say we are thinking about you, you're not forgotten, you're not alone, maybe somebody in a hospital who is so down or someone who lost their job can read this and know that someone in New Mexico, 1,997 miles away actually cares," said Myra Luna, a UNM student and the group's vice president.
Luna said that when she heard about the attacks, she wanted to help but had no money to give.
"I wanted to do something now, I couldn't wait to give blood, so I started thinking `What can I do?' and then I thought communicate, and thought of a way that I could communicate to those in New York," Luna said.
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The group will pay for all postage needed to send the letters, which will be sent sometime next week to a Red Cross liaison in New York City who will distribute the letters to the appropriate people.
Luna said the table has information about dealing with grief, the Red Cross and other ways to help victims of the attack.
"We want to make this an informative and supportive table. If someone wants to come over here and they are feeling grief and loss they can pick up a flyer and hopefully get what they need," Luna said.
