Letters of hope and connection

Madeline Rost, a 16-year-old junior at Livingston High School and a congregant at Temple B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, missed many days of school as a child because of chronic illness. She spent a lot of time in doctors’ offices and sometimes in hospital beds.

From this adversity early in life, she developed a passion for helping others, especially kids in the hospital.

A year and a half ago, she poured those passions into founding Signed With a Smile, which enables children to lift the spirits of pediatric patients through simple handwritten cards or letters.

“Our goal is to spread hope, comfort, and companionship, one envelope at a time,” Maddie said.

“It was something I’d been thinking about for a while — what I could do to make an impact — and I figured it had to be something tailored to what I’m interested in.”

Signed With a Smile operates through partnerships with her own and other local synagogues, schools, including Hillside and Mount Pleasant elementary schools in Livingston, and community organizations.

Targeting the five- to 14-year-old age range, Maddie collaborates with educators, volunteer groups, and youth organizations to “ensure every letter is reviewed, delivered, and deeply appreciated.”

Maddie, who hopes to become a physician, consulted with hospital child-life specialists to create guidelines for letter-writers, available on the project’s website. She learned, for instance, not to write platitudes like “feel better” or “be strong” but rather supportive or encouraging messages such as “You are so amazing,” “You’re so loved,” or “We are thinking of you,” along with other smile-inducing elements such as jokes and funny pictures.

“The kids who make the cards learn empathy and what it means to show kindness without expecting anything in return, while the kids who receive them feel comforted and seen,” she said. “A letter won’t cure an illness, but it can make a lonely day feel lighter and a hospital room feel a little less scary.”

The cards get distributed to children in Mount Sinai Medical Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston and through partnerships with Ronald McDonald House and the Scarlett Fund, which supports research into pediatric cancer.

Hospital regulations do not allow Maddie to be with the young patients as they receive their cards, but she has a live show on Mount Sinai KidZone TV where she and a co-host demonstrate creating the cards. “Sometimes kids call in,” she said. “They all really appreciate it.

“What sets Signed With a Smile apart is that it’s peer-to-peer. Kids encouraging other kids. No fancy tech, no complicated process — just human connection delivered with stamps and sincerity.

“I believe small acts of kindness can make a huge impact, and I hope this project helps prove that.”

So far, Signed With a Smile has provided more than 1,000 kid-to-kid letters and cards for delivery to pediatric patients. Maddie hopes to keep growing the project to additional communities across the tristate area.

With that goal in mind, she has started going into elementary schools and speaking to their student councils. She also works personally with local groups to create the cards. The activity can be ongoing or a one-time event, marking a holiday or milestone such as a bar or bat mitzvah.

“It reflects on the values that I’ve learned,” Maddie said. “When I was younger, I went to Hebrew school and we learned about tikkun olam — repairing the world — and giving back to the community. This is a great way to do that as I’ve gotten older. Honoring the Jewish tradition of caring for others reminds me that I’m part of something bigger, part of generations of people who try to leave this world a better place than when they found it.”

Maddie has a lot of experience in giving back. She has been a volunteer teacher’s assistant at Temple B’nai Jeshurun, where she recently presented a tikkun olam lesson to the seventh-grade bar/bat mitzvah class; coached tennis students at the Greater Newark Tennis Center, and led extracurricular hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) activities at the Ironbound Community Center in Newark.

“I’ve always felt connected to making a difference in the lives of young people,” she said.

Her parents, Shira and Brian, and her younger siblings, Ben and Mia, have gotten involved in Signed With a Smile too, whether making cards, driving her to deliver them to partner organizations, or helping the cause in other ways.

Maddie, a member of her high school’s varsity tennis team, also serves on the Teen Israel Leadership Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest. This group is geared to educating high school students about Israel and its conflicts, deepening their connections to Israel, and preparing them to be strong Jewish advocates on college campuses.

Her many talents extend to writing and illustrating. “I recently wrote and published a book, ‘The Smile That Traveled,’ a reflection of what I’ve been doing in Signed With a Smile, and how these cards make an impact,” Maddie said. It’s available on Amazon.

Maddie has applied to the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards, which provide significant funding and other forms of support for young Jewish changemakers leading impactful social-action projects such as hers. Semifinalists will be announced in March and finalists in May.

Meanwhile, she accepts donations through the website signedwithasmile.com. The site includes information about opportunities for hosting letter-writing events or volunteering to review letters, assemble packets, or coordinate events.

“No matter who you are — a student, teacher, parent, or community member — you can help brighten a child’s day with a handwritten letter of hope and encouragement,” Maddie said. “Whether you have five minutes or want to lead a larger initiative, there’s a meaningful way to get involved.”