Challenge Yourself to Write by Hand in 2021

Earlier this month, the Cancer Research Institute launched its newest campaign, the ’21 Challenge—a year-long event that encourages people to make personal commitments that will define their 2021 and fundraise to support CRI’s research programs. The concept is simple: each individual or team chooses their own goal and raises money to advance cancer research. Registration is free and there is no fundraising commitment—although we do suggest a goal of $2,021.

However, sometimes the hardest part of completing a goal is figuring out your commitment. To make this easier, we suggest participating in National Handwriting Day on Saturday, January 23, to kick-off your personal writing challenge.

Why this activity? Writing out your thoughts can be highly therapeutic and when shared, it can help others feel more connected to you.  In a time where messages are often confined to character limits, emotions expressed through emojis, and social activities are taking place virtually, handwritten messages to yourself or others is a great way to feel more present.

Did you know that your writing can also do good? Over the last several months, the need to social distance or even self-isolate have left many people feeling stressed and/or lonely. Taking time to handwrite letters, poems, pictures, and more can help cheer up those most affected.

Sign up for the ’21 Challenge and commit to sending handwritten correspondence throughout the year to loved ones you cannot see at this time or patients in hospitals, nursing homes, or other long-term care facilities. Once registered, you can share updates to your personal page and solicit donations for CRI from your family and friends. What you choose to write and the duration (i.e., 21 minutes, 21 weeks, or 21 times) are up to you. The options are endless but here are a few to inspire you.

Capture Your Thoughts in Nature
Escape the routine of staying indoors and head to a nearby park with a notepad and writing instrument to journal about your day. Set a goal of 21 minutes a day; your location can vary!

Write A Poem
Channel your thoughts into a haiku or free form poem. Keep the momentum going with 21 poems or write for 21 weeks!

Show Your Gratitude
Write notes to those who uplift you and let them know how much they mean to you. In exchange for your notes, they can make a small donation to your fundraiser.

List Your ’21 Resolutions
Create a list of goals to achieve throughout 2021. No matter how big or small writing them down will be the first step! Once written, commit to one goal a month! Maybe your dedication will inspire generous donations from your network.

Get Creative
Challenge yourself to create a fun short story or another form of prose. Solicit contributions for every new chapter you write.

The CRI community of supporters, patients, and scientists has always been steadfast, but we will need your help to do more. Throughout the pandemic, CRI has remained committed to raising critical funds to support the most promising science and research. This year, we will continue to drive groundbreaking cancer immunotherapy research to save more lives.

Will you accept the ’21 Challenge?