Albany Library pen pal program connects communities

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Albany Public Library is embracing snail mail this summer and bringing back the art of letter writing. Their newest program is connecting pen pals of all ages from Albany, New York to Albany, Georgia.

The response to the correspondence has been uplifting. The letters are handwritten instead of typed out and dropped off at the public library branches throughout the city.

"Writing and sending a letter in the mail is very personal, and that's what I like about it," said Veronica Rowe, who is taking part in the summer program.  

Krystyna Polglase, a library assistant with APL, created the pen pal program.  "I used to have a pen pal, and I thought that was a really cool thing to have," she said.

The library takes care of collecting the correspondence, postage, and delivering the mail to the Dougherty County Library, which is located in Albany, Georgia.

"It's faster to connect these days because of the internet. I feel like we have kind of lost it as well because we live in such a fast paced world," Polglase explained.

One hundred twenty people have signed up to become a pen pal, ready to put pen to paper in an effort to learn about each other and our differences despite the shared city name.

It's helped create meaningful connections from more than 1,000 miles away. "The letter came on a day I was really struggling. You know, here in Georgia, it's hot. I'm struggling with the 1-year-old with the baby bag. That letter, it really changed my day. It really had me in a great mood," shared Kimberly Cole from Albany, Georgia, who is taking part in the program.

"You get to know so much, even about a person just by their handwriting and penmanship," Rowe added.

For Rowe and her daughter Karrington, who is overcoming a developmental language disorder, the summer program serves another purpose. "I figure this would be a great way to help her in her speech therapy. She writes her thoughts out better," she explained.

APL told NEWS10 the program has been such a hit they are considering expanding the program to other states that share the Albany city name.