NOCATEE, Fla. — It started as a pen pal program for seniors living in long-term care facilities to make sure they didn’t feel alone during this period of isolation. As it turns out, when you share a part of yourself you get more in return.
"My name is Matthew Le Roux, I am 9 years old and I am from South Africa," Matthew wrote.
Matthew’s mom Sarah-Lynn Le Roux heard about the pen pal program through the Next Door app so they sat down to write. This was back in November.
His letter reads: “I moved to America when I was 5. I love living in Nocatee because it is very safe and there are no hijackers and robbers like there were in South Africa."
"I can ride my bike down the road and my mom doesn’t have to worry," Matthew wrote.
He opened his heart and his mailbox around Thanksgiving hoping to get a letter back.
“It was like two weeks later and still nothing so I was like I don’t think it even went anywhere," Matthew said. He was skeptical, which make sense since the Le Rouxs say they do not have this type of mail service in their home country.
Sisters Meredith and Kelly Kreis own Elite Care Consulting. They created the pen pal program to connect the community with seniors and were shocked when they found Matthew's letter months later.
“We have a mailbox at the UPS store I guess it got put in the wrong box," Meredith said. "So I just got it a couple week ago and then when I read the letter, I was really touched by.”
The sisters reached out to Matthew right away to let them know they got his letter. Better late than never.
They couldn’t stop reading his story and sharing it. They even shared it with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Meredith says they were moved as well to know that this young boy is now living a safe childhood on the first coast.
The Le Rouxs been in America for 4 years, but the Jaguars wanted to officially welcome Matthew home to Jacksonville.
Over Zoom with First Coast News, the Kreis sisters surprised Matthew with a Jaguars football signed by quarterback Gardner Minshew.
This one letter has connected Matthew to the first coast in ways he wasn't the past four years.
As for the original purpose, the pen pal program, his letter made its way to a fellow named Chuck who lives at a local long-term care facility. Chuck wrote back to Matthew and told him he’s done mission work in the South African city where the Le Rouxs are from!
Matthew and Chuck are keeping in touch making this big world feel very small.