Giving out sweet treats and custom-made pins, sophomores Olivia Toborowsky and Sophie Shafipour shared information about their club, Cards for Care, to students walking around Archer’s annual Club Fair Sept. 26. Members of their club write letters of kindness to those facing social isolation in Los Angeles.
Shafipour and Toborowsky said they based their club off Letters for Love, a club they were members of two years ago. Because no one took over that club, they said they decided to modify it and make their own.
The Oracle sat down with Toborowsky and Shafipour to discuss their intentions and goals for the school year.
What is the purpose of this club, and what do you hope to accomplish this year?
Olivia Toborowsky [OT]: The purpose of this club is to write cards to people in isolated communities like homeless shelters, elderly homes and children’s hospitals. We’re doing these small acts of kindness to spread kindness all around and let people know that they’re not alone and that there’s other people all around the world that care about them.
Sophie Shafipour [SS]: We really want to get people to care for the outside community and really get engaged in things and maybe find a passion for something. But really, we want them engaging in something that can help others, learning more about the different types of communities out there that need help and be there to support them.
What did the process look like to create this club at Archer?
[OT]: We knew we both wanted to start a club ever since Letters for Love didn’t continue because we loved it so much. We loved spreading kindness in small ways. This was a great way, and we wanted to bring it to different communities that we cared about.
[SS]: Especially communities that are socially isolated, I feel like they’re always so lonely. For example, senior homes feel super lonely, and [it can help to have] some sort of card or just something that makes you feel a little better. Knowing that there’s a group of girls out there that care for you and are there for you can make such a big impact to these communities during a tough time that they’re facing.
What was the response to your club at the club fair?
[OT]: We are both very proud of the response. Around 45 people signed up, which was pretty good for us as a first-year, new club. We’re so excited to go to our first meeting and see how it goes and who shows up, and hopefully we’ll get to spread some kindness from throughout the Archer community to all these other places.
[SS]: It was Ms. Geffen that came up to us and [said] she likes the idea because it’s a fun thing to do. Making cards is so fun, but then having an impact as well is such a greater thing. The response we got from a lot of people was, ‘Oh, it’s so cool that you can use cards, but then make something bigger.’ And that’s why I think it applies to everyone in the school, because anyone can have an impact and make their mark.
As sophomores, how do you plan on stepping into this leadership role?
[OT]: Since we’re doing it together, we plan to both lean on each other and work together to take on this new role, as this is something new for us, and use our resources like our advisor, Ms. Gold.
[SS]: [We will] take sufficient time outside of class, work on presentations, plan what we’re going to do and email different organizations — all of the logistics. That’ll be really helpful, especially so that when we have our meetings, we know what to do, and everyone knows what to do. And it’ll be good for the long run too, because when we continue, we can even go even higher and maybe do a fundraiser.
