Heart 2 Heart is a youth-led program that supports children with chronic conditions through connection, family education, and community awareness.

At its core, Heart 2 Heart is about connection and compassion. Growing up with a chronic condition can feel isolating, not just for the child but for their entire family. Friendships can be harder to build. Questions and worries can feel endless. We want to ease that loneliness with simple, genuine connections that bring comfort and hope.

Through friendships formed in our pen pal program, kids gain more than just someone to write to — they find a friend who gets it. They share stories, dreams, drawings, and support that remind them they’re not fighting their challenges alone. But our mission goes deeper than just letters. We believe families need spaces to learn, share, and feel heard — that’s why we also guide parents with resources and workshops that remind them they have a community walking beside them.

Rooted in youth leadership and strengthened by our partnership with 4-H and Rutgers University, Heart 2 Heart stands for kindness, understanding, and community. Our goal is to build a world where every child living with a chronic condition can grow up knowing that friendship and support are always within reach — and that their story matters.

ORIGINS

Heart 2 Heart was founded by Jennessa Raval, whose passion for this work comes from stories shared around her own family’s kitchen table. Growing up, Jennessa listened to family members open up about what it was like to navigate life with a chronic condition — the hospital visits, the missed school days, but more than anything, the deep loneliness they felt as kids when no one really understood what they were going through. Hearing how isolating it was made Jennessa want to do something about it. She created Heart 2 Heart to give today’s children the kind of connection and comfort her family wished they’d had — a friend to write to, a community to lean on, and a reminder that they’re never alone in their journey.

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