For this week’s article I am writing about HEART, a little known, but in my opinion very important organization.
HEART was founded to provide support for Elon students that have lost loved ones. Part of what makes this organization so beneficial to students is that it puts them in touch with others who can relate to the challenges that come with coping with grief on a college campus.
What I found to be most inspiring about the organization though, is its devotion to doing service activities in the community as a way to spread positivity to others who are going through difficult times. The organization’s president, Amanda Maddalone, explained to me that by spreading good deeds to others in need, members of HEART are able to feel good about their actions and find a positive outlet for their grief.
As Amanda said, community service is a way to show students coping with grief the positive things that can come from a negative thing. I think this is a really inspiring message. Though both ladies I spoke to about the organization mentioned that they’ve had trouble attracting members to meetings due to the discomfort many feel discussing their grief, I am hoping that this will change. These girls have such a nice outlook on coping with loss, and I’m hoping that after they graduate this message will continue to be passed on to others.