ISTS has selected Letters of Love, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing emotional support to children battling serious illnesses through handmade cards, as the 2026 Starfish Campaign award recipient.
Founded in 2018 by Grace Berbig, then a high school junior, Letters of Love began as a way to honor her late mother by spreading positivity and kindness. Today, more than three hundred student-led clubs at high schools and colleges across forty-two states serve as the organization’s primary source of cards. Individuals and groups throughout the U.S. and eighteen other countries also contribute to the effort, helping Letters of Love deliver more than 425,000 cards to patients since its founding.
“Our mission at Letters of Love is to provide emotional support for children who are fighting a battle no child ever should, but it is so much bigger than that,” said Berbig. “Thousands of students around the country are building communities of young people who believe in the power of handwritten notes and the beauty of small acts of kindness.”
The organization’s impact is powered entirely by volunteers, including its board and executive leadership. Financial contributions help cover administrative costs and enable Letters of Love to keep its student clubs free for all members.
Through the annual Starfish Campaign, ISTS employees live out the company’s Core Value of “Help Others” by nominating and voting for charitable organizations to receive a monetary donation and direct volunteer support. Since the campaign began in 2010, ISTS has supported organizations addressing needs ranging from education and food insecurity to health, literacy, homelessness and more.
“[ISTS’] generous donation will directly support our Letters of Love clubs around the country to provide materials to make cards for our heroes,” Berbig added. “No student ever has to pay to be a part of Letters of Love because of kind hearts like yours and donations like this.”
Want to get involved? Visit lettersofloveglobal.com/how-you-can-help to learn more.
