REDWOOD CITY, CA — A handwritten note from a stranger can be a small gesture. But for 16-year-old Erin Mak, it could also be a reminder that someone isn't alone.
Mak, a junior at Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough, brought her "Unity Wall" to the San Mateo County government center in Redwood City this week, inviting visitors to leave messages of kindness, encouragement and hope for people they may never meet.
The installation is part of United Against Hate Week, which runs through Friday.
"I feel like a lot of people are feeling increasingly more isolated, not because there's not people surrounding them, but because they don't feel that they can reach out," Mak said.
Her project offers a simple way to bridge that gap: Visitors write messages on sticky notes, add them to a public wall and read notes left by others.
The idea began several years ago when Mak was thinking about a question that has occupied people for generations: What gives life meaning?
After reading "Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life," a novel about a boy searching for answers to that question, Mak began reflecting on her own purpose and the importance of kindness, including kindness toward oneself.
She had seen people share encouraging messages on sticky notes and decided to create a wall in her bedroom where friends and family could leave their thoughts.
When she started high school, Mak noticed how much time students spent on their phones and wondered whether a more tangible way to connect could help people feel less isolated.
"I wanted to create something," she said, "that people could tangibly realize that they weren't alone."
She first tested the concept at the Menlo Park Library, where visitors contributed more than 100 handwritten messages. The project has since grown into a nonprofit initiative with dozens of installations in libraries, schools, community centers and other public spaces.
The messages range from short notes to longer reflections. Mak reads the contributions after each installation, and some have stayed with her.
One person wrote: "Do you climb a mountain for the world to see, or for you to see the world?"
Another offered a reminder to focus on the present: "Don't worry about the future ahead of you. That's not your job. Your job is to be in the present."
"I think just seeing the notes really makes you feel loved, even if you might not know the people," Mak said.
The Unity Wall will be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through Friday in the lobby of the San Mateo County Center at 500 County Center in Redwood City.
More information about United Against Hate Week events is available at the county's official event page.
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