This Valentine’s Day, the Chinese Student Alliance (CSA) offered Sweethearts & Stuffies, a unique opportunity for Georgetown University students to spread love and joy while supporting Heart of Dinner, a New York City-based organization combating food insecurity and isolation among Asian American seniors.

For just $5 or $10, students purchased a gift for a friend or Valentine through CampusGroups, which included a plushie, a personalized note and delivery to their Valentine’s dorm. The proceeds from this initiative will directly benefit Asian American senior citizens, a demographic often marginalized in discussions of socioeconomic and cultural isolation.

Valentine’s Day provides students with the perfect chance to embrace this kind of opportunity — as well as others like it — and spread love in its most inclusive and impactful forms. 

We strive to empower people to contribute to wider circles around them as they give to those close to them. In the spirit of cura personalis, we hoped Georgetown students would embrace Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to cultivate care and compassion while encouraging each other to express love and appreciation. And, importantly, we think that the spirit of sharing love must not be solely seen in a romantic context, but also within the broader context of friendships and community bonds.

Valentine’s Day presents a prime opportunity to democratize acts of kindness and philanthropy by making charity and community service more accessible to all. Shifting the focus from romantic gestures to inclusive acts of compassion is beneficial in harnessing the widespread attention surrounding this holiday to promote social good and collective welfare. By integrating giving back into the fabric of Valentine’s Day celebrations, we can cultivate a culture of empathy and altruism that transcends individual relationships and extends to the broader community, ultimately fostering a more compassionate and interconnected society.

Heart of Dinner, our chosen beneficiary, exemplifies the impact of culturally sensitive care and community support. Founded during the COVID-19 pandemic, it addresses critical yet often overlooked issues: the loneliness and food insecurity faced by elderly Asian Americans. Heart of Dinner’s approach of delivering culturally thoughtful food packages with personalized love notes in the elders’ native languages combines practical support with personal emotional care. This resonates deeply with us at CSA, as we have previously written cards for the organization and witnessed the profound impact of such personalized gestures. Whether it is on Valentine’s Day or not, CSA hopes to both spread awareness about this incredible organization and contribute to a campus environment where selflessness and support for others are core values. 

We’re hopeful that Sweethearts & Stuffies fostered a sense of belonging and togetherness on campus while extending these values beyond the university’s gates. By participating in this campaign and others like it, students are not just buying a plushie for their friends or loved ones; they are actively contributing to a cycle of care and community support by transforming the simple act of giving into a meaningful contribution toward societal wellbeing.

We urge the Georgetown community to embrace opportunities to spread love with generosity. Whether you purchased a plushie or are looking to donate to your personal cause of choice, every action counts.

So, in the community spirit of Valentine’s Day, we ask Hoyas to come together and spread compassion, embodying the civically-minded spirit of Georgetown’s values.

Alice Ma is a first-year student in the McDonough School of Business. Katie Cheung is a first-year student in the School of Foreign Service.