Pens To Friends

By Marjorie L Sallee, KS

When most of us think about pen pals, we see one-on-one relationships forged by two willing people who are interested in writing to one another. However, the pen pal world has many variations of pen pal clubs. One of the most elaborate that I have known is a group of women pen pals that are called Pens to Friends. The club is limited to 18 members. Each member agrees to write individual letters to each of the other 17 members within 30 days of receiving a letter. Then that member has 30 days in which to respond. If each member takes the full number of days, that would mean six letter exchanges within a year. However, most members write many more letters than that as they get better acquainted.

Pens to Friends had its beginning over 30 years ago, and some of the current members were in that original group. As a member drops out for various reasons, members are asked to recommend a new member to replace that one. The number of members is limited to 18, as that means each member has at least 17 pen pals within the group. Then the new member must write a letter of introduction to each member, and the whole group corresponds with the new member during a four-month probationary period. At the end of that time the group votes the new member into the group. Most are accepted, but some do not get in.

This club not only has an exclusionary membership but also has a slate of officers which is elected each year and a list of club rules which governs the club. Club dues are charged (currently $8 per year) which pay for an excellent monthly club newsletter and also small gifts to members who have a hospital stay or death in the immediate family. The club also has a monthly honoree who receives cards or tuck-in gifts from all the members.

At the end of the year, the club honors a Club Queen who is presented a certificate and small monetary prize. In addition each year the club is paired off into club sisters who send extra tokens of appreciation each month and also special gifts for birthdays and Christmas.. At Christmas time, names are drawn to receive a surprise gift from another member. The club suggests that the gifts have a value of at least $5 plus postage. Over a period of years, the members become very close knit.

Does this sound like too much work and effort? Other clubs form with certain hobbies or interests at the core. There are poetry clubs in which the members agree to send a poem set up on a scrapbook type page for inclusion in the member's poetry books. Some clubs are set up to exchange post cards for others' collections. Some are exchange clubs in which the participants agree for one year to send certain items to the name of the month. These can be objects of a certain favorite color, a certain favorite flavor, a certain initial, a certain shape, etc. Some are meant to exchange items like stickers, tablets, stationery, and other things that pen pals enjoy. All most of these clubs require is a person who is willing to organize and sponsor them. Being a pen pal can be lots of fun, but joining one of the pen pal clubs can add a lot of variety to your mail contacts, too.