A Little Red Mailbox of Hope has come to Douglassville. The entire community is invited to a dedication event on Saturday, Nov. 4, at 12 p.m. at Amity Community Park.
The Little Red Mailboxes of Hope serve as a place to share messages of hope and inspiration with one another through journals. People of all ages can visit with the messages and contribute their own. The mailbox at Amity Community Park it is being dedicated in memory of Ciara Jolie Whitney, a Daniel Boone student tragically lost in March of 2015.
Cyndi Trombley, a resident of Amity Township, discovered the Little Red Mailboxes of Hope in the Outer Banks, N.C.
“It’s a neat, neat project. It started in the Outer Banks, N.C., so it’s kind of cool that it’s made its way all the way to Douglassville.”
She explained how her family went to the Outer Banks following the loss her daughter’s friend.
“That’s our place; everyone has someplace they go where they recharge their batteries. We were walking along the beach we looked up on dune and there was this red mailbox that we’ve never seen before. And it just said ‘hope’ on it. So we walked up the dune and it was just this beautiful mailbox. We sat there for two hours reading the journals that were full of inspirational thoughts and uplifting words.”
The following year, Trombley said her and her daughter rushed back to the mailbox to read more messages, and leave some of their own this time around. She listed contributors as young as 4 years old, up to 87.
“It was a really remarkable thing that we stumbled upon.”
They thought about how they could start something like it back home, in Amity Township, and decided to contact the originator of the Little Red Mailbox, Sue Goodrich of Kill Devil Hills, N.C. With approval from Goodrich, Trombley then sought and received approval from the Amity Township Parks and Recreation Dept.
The Little Red Mailbox of Hope #6 was installed at Amity Community Park on Oct. 25.
“That mailbox is for everybody. It’s for people that have hope to give and people that need a little hope. A fifth graders’ idea of hope is different than an adult’s that’s going to the mailbox for hope. But sometimes you can get hope even if it’s a different age group. You know?”
Trombley will oversee the journals and she’s happy with the placement of it, near the playground at the park. She said a local Girl Scout Troop is already working on their own journal and seniors at Keystone Villa retirement community are also sharing their messages of hope and advice for hard times.
“Some people leave their name and age; some people leave a note and don’t even sign it. It can be anonymous. It’s whatever this area wants it to be.”
The first journal has been supplied by project’s originator; the mailbox itself has been painted by an artist in North Carolina. Ciara’s initials can be found painted on one side.
On Saturday, the local Girl Scouts are hosting a color run at the park from 9-12 p.m. As the runners cross the finish line, there will be a gathering at the Mailbox of Hope for the ribbon cutting ceremony. In attendance will be township representatives, Ciara’s family and friends, and representatives from the ruOKberks – a movement fighting stigma associated with mental health.
