In 2018, the student organization Make the Change was established at UNI. Since 2018, Make the Change has written letters, completed service projects and crafting projects to make a difference in the lives of UNI students through small acts of kindness. 

Make the Change’s president Paige Parma defines the organization, “Make the Change strives to find ways on how to spread kindness around UNI’s campus. Make the Change conducts a letter bundle system to write letters to people who need a boost of support from others. The organization also hosts self service nights at different points during the semester where people are given the opportunity to focus on themselves, and do crafts or write words of affirmation.” 

One of Make the Change’s largest projects is their letter bundles, which they do annually. The group accepts nominations, and writes letters of affirmation to those nominated to give them an emotional boost. Parma elaborated on the process and its meaning, “Anyone can submit a nomination to Make The Change. You can go to our website and submit a request. Once the request is filled out, our vice president will look through the nominations and approve them. The nomination is anonymous and 100 percent free.” The group then meets to complete these letter bundles, and deliver them to the nominee. Since the group was established in 2018, Make the Change has written 737 letters to 51 nominees. 

Make the Change’s emotional impact on their nominees is nothing short of successful. One member and former letter nominee for Make the Change, Taylor Walker, commented on the impact Make the Change has had on her specifically, “It’s a great way to get involved within the community. Being from Illinois, I wanted to leave an impact and continue my volunteer work. I also received a nomination when I was struggling. Receiving these handmade cards with words of affirmation, made me feel wanted and welcomed. Make the Change has personally changed my life and others around me.” Outside of their letter bundle project, Make the Change completes semesterly service projects as well. Parma further elaborated on the service projects that Make the Change has completed and looks to complete in the future, “We continue making a difference by volunteering around the community. This year, we have volunteered at the Cedar Bend Humane Society and volunteered at House of Hope’s Festival of Lights.” 

Make the Change has left an impact on the UNI community, and continues to pursue furthering that impact in the future. Make the Change also welcomes new members frequently. “Students are welcome to come to any and all meetings and volunteer opportunities! They can DM the Instagram account or fill out the Google Form to be added to the email list,” Parma explained. The group has met every other Tuesday at 6 p.m. this semester, and welcomes anyone who has an interest in spreading kindness on and off campus. “You can keep an eye on the @makethechangeuni Instagram account for next semester’s schedule!” Parma elaborated. 

Make the Change is now accepting nominations for another set of letter bundles. To nominate someone, you can visit their website, makethechangeuni.weebly.com/nomination-form.html. For those interested in joining or getting involved with Make the Change, Parma encourages those to DM the Make the Change Instagram account to be put on the email list.