WASHINGTON– It’s now been three weeks since University of Virginia student Hannah Graham went missing. But back at the school, students are refusing to give up the hope of bringing Hannah home.
“Everyone has hope,” says Samantha Westrum, a second-year student. She wasn’t able to search for Graham because it was too emotionally difficult. “I don’t know if this community has ever felt more fear or sadness,” she says.
But to feel like she’s helping, Westrum is collecting hand-written thank you notes from students. She and others on the student council for second-year students have collected more than 200 letters thanking Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo, law enforcement officers and the search volunteers. She says the letters will be dropped off to the chief either this weekend or next.
Hattie Clougherty is also a second-year student who’s helping with the letter- writing campaign. “It’s really important to give everyone the opportunity to feel a sense of hope and have someone to connect to. We’re all kind of going through similar things. Some of us really don’t know how to deal with it. And just any way that we can give back I think helps that much more,” she says.
It’s been nearly three weeks since Graham vanished. “It’s never off of our minds … we’re trying to be there for each other and especially for those who were really close to her.”
Clougherty adds the Charlottesville/UVa community has been really responsive, but overall, it is not the same.
“You should be able to ride your bike or walk home at night,” she said, “but it’s not something we can do and that’s something that we’re realizing.”
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