ANDERSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — In a digital world where communication is often reduced to emojis, some dads are proving that the pen is still mightier than the keyboard.
Since Rosie Paulik was in fourth grade, her father has sent her — and now her young son Jackson — a daily letter.
"When I had my son, or I got my new job, he'll let me know how proud he is of me and how excited he is for me," Paulik said.
WATCH: One man's project to give everyone a letter from a dad
A few weeks ago, the Anderson Township resident realized others might benefit from her father's written wisdom.
"I thought, I bet you people would want to receive letters from him, even though they've never met him," Paulik said.
So she posted a TikTok video offering her dad's letter-writing services to anyone needing some fatherly encouragement.
@rosie_paulik
"We are inundated with requests to hear from my dad, but really it's people who want to hear from a dad," Paulik said.
Buz Ecker, Paulik's father, is now spending his summer in Michigan working through more than 1,000 requests. He's already written over 150 letters and has recruited other fathers to help with the project.
"I write like I'm speaking to them," Ecker said. "If they need a father, I'll be happy to be their father, and they can write me anytime they want."
Ecker said some people who request a letter have a father who is deceased.
“I tell them that their father doesn't want them to grieve. Their father wants them to have fun and enjoy the rest of their lives,” he said. ”I try to make something not only positive, but if they want me to tell a story, or if there’s room to tell a story, as long as it’s appropriate, I will do that in the letter.”
Some requesters want parenting advice. Others want to know about what to do as a new homeowner.
For Ecker, putting pen to paper in a digital world shows an extra effort "to signify how much I love my children."
And while each letter starts out from a stranger, they always end the same way: "I love you. Dad."
"They just want to hear from a father figure," Paulik said.
Those interested in receiving a letter or volunteering as a letter-writing dad can visit www.dadletterproject.com.
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