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When he arrived on Syracuse University’s campus in 2021 — while restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic were still in effect – Jorge Morales struggled to find a community on campus.

But when he was invited to attend a Christmas card-making event by members of SU’s then-newly-formed chapter of Brighten a Day, Morales said he quickly found his group. Now a junior, he has remained a dedicated member of the club since and now serves as its vice president.

“It’s a place where I can go, and I know that I’m surrounded by people who want to be there, and by people who care to go that extra mile and just try to make the community a better place,” Morales says. “And it certainly makes me feel better.”

From making cards to assembling flower bouquets, Morales said the club serves as a safe haven on campus by allowing students to give back to their community. The club’s mission is to make people feel less alone through small acts of kindness.

Composed of over 40 members, Brighten a Day meets every Monday night and aims to spread cheer across the local community by making cards, hosting gatherings and creating care packages for people in need. The nonprofit organization operates nationally to combat loneliness, according to its website.

The SU chapter has previously hosted events including Earth Day clean-ups, care package assemblies for children’s hospitals and holiday ornament making. The club also works in the local community by collaborating with local groups, like veterans’ organizations and nursing homes.

This semester, Brighten a Day also partnered with SU’s Student Association for Mental Health Awareness Week, where participants “chalked the quad” with positive messages for the SU community to see.

Sophomore Lia Hopkins attended her first Brighten a Day meeting last year and now serves as the club’s secretary. Hopkins said she was drawn to the club as a freshman because of its welcoming community, comforting environment and overall mission.

“My favorite aspect is just getting to relax with other people that share similar values and goals that we have, like wanting to help others,” Hopkins said. “If you join the club, you get to do that, but it’s also chill, like we listen to music when we do our activities.”

Leonardo Eriman | Staff Photographer

Brighten a Day meets every Monday night and aims to spread cheer across the local community by making cards, hosting gatherings and creating care packages for people in need. The club’s mission is to make people feel less alone through small acts of kindness.

Bruce Kingma, Brighten a Day’s faculty advisor and a professor of entrepreneurship, received Valentine’s Day cards from the club when his mother was in hospice care, he wrote in a statement to The Daily Orange. Brighten a Day had previously made several Valentine’s Day cards and given a portion to the nursing home where Kingma’s mother was being cared for.

“A month later, my mother passed. I still think of the joy she got from the Valentine’s Day card … and the students of Brighten a Day,” Kingma wrote.

Hopkins said Brighten a Day’s events this year have consisted mostly of cardmaking, though she hopes to expand to more events in the future.

In the past, Brighten a Day has also hosted collaborations with local organizations, including Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a national nonprofit organization that provides beds for children in need. Members of Syracuse’s SHP chapter built beds while Brighten a Day members made cards for veterans, Morales said.

During Brighten a Day’s next event, scheduled for December, participants will make care packages for Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital to cheer up patients during the holiday season, Hopkins said.

Because the club’s current president is set to graduate this semester, Morales will serve as president starting in spring 2025. He said he hopes to increase membership to keep the mission going after the current executive board graduates.

“Even if we do something for 100 people, and most of them don’t really pay a second mind. If we can improve the day of at least one person, then we’ve done our jobs,” Morales said.

Published on November 18, 2024 at 10:04 pm

Contact Arabella: akklonow@syr.edu