Tar Heels Wrap Up Another Fun Year Of Pen Pal Program

UNC's sixth-annual Pen Pal Meet & Greet on April 30 wrapped up a fun and beneficial year of correspondence between Tar Heel student-athletes and third-through-fifth graders at New Hope Elementary School. The pen pals exchange letters every month or so throughout the year, helping to build writing skills on the part of the New Hope students while also providing a look at what it's like to be a college student. A total of about 300 Tar Heels participated, making it one of UNC's largest outreach events each year.

"I know our students really love the opportunity to participate in this project, and everyone gets excited when a new batch of letters comes in," said Korie Sawyer Rich, UNC's Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Development and the staff member who coordinates the program. "And after writing all year, it's great to give them the chance to meet in person."

The Meet & Greet event took place at the UNC-Liberty baseball game at Boshamer Stadium. The New Hope students arrived by buses or with parents and were treated to pizza and baseball action (Carolina won 11-5) in addition to a meeting a Tar Heel who up until then has likely been just a familiar signature. More than 150 UNC student-athletes attended, representing the majority of those who participated in the Pen Pal program this year. (Because UNC finals had started, some students were unable to attend.) In one case, a Tar Heel pen pal – football's Mason Veal – could not make it to Boshamer but was able to say hi to his New Hope pen pal via FaceTime.

Softball junior Haliey Cole was this year's "mail carrier," shuttling letters back and forth between UNC's Loudermilk Center and New Hope Elementary. "I really had a great time helping with the Pen Pal Program this year," said Cole, a communication studies major from Welcome, N.C. "It was so rewarding to see how much it means for the kids to get letters from UNC athletes. I think they taught me more than I could have possibly taught them in my time spent at New Hope. The impact the kids and the program have made on me this past year is huge and it's an experience I'll always cherish."

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