Kyle McDougal, sophomore at the University of Cincinnati, had just gone through a series of tragedies with his family and was in need of an emotional outlet.

This, coupled with his computer skills, was how the website TheLoveQuilt.com came about, he said. “I was looking for a place to tell people about what had happened without having to awkwardly bring it up,” McDougal said. “I created this website with the intention for people to write whatever they wanted and keep it anonymous.”

TheLoveQuilt.com is a page of boxes where anyone can write a message for free to a loved one or someone they care for and it will be published online at the same time.

The message writing is simple and accessible to anyone, said Mike Harris, who is partners with McDougal on this project.

Harris said he is partially in charge of the promoting and marketing of the site.

There are directions to create a box on the homepage, and the writer can also submit photos or videos as well.

“I went to high school with Mike, and he is pretty much the coolest nerd I’ve ever met,” McDougal said. “I knew he was really smart, so I wanted to see if he would be interested in working on it with me.”

McDougal does all of the coding for the website and all of the messages people send in go through him, Harris said. This way there are never any mean or nasty messages that are posted because McDougal will not allow them to go up.

The two have also been working on a Facebook contest offering $200 to the person who can get as many friends as possible to create a box on the website. They also have created a Facebook page and Twitter account for the cause.

With the website only having been live since August 2010, Bobby Parks has also helped with bringing attention to TheLoveQuilt.com, while McDougal works on the actual programming of the site.

“It’s very hard to do by yourself, so seeking help was a smart decision on his part,” Parks said.

Parks himself is also an advocate for the website.

“I think people should write on this website because it feels good to get your emotions out, especially love,” Parks said.

Now that TheLoveQuilt.com is up and running and the word is being spread, it is McDougal and Harris’ goal to reach a million boxes on the website, McDougal said.

“We are ambitious guys, so that is why we are hoping for such a high number,” Harris said.

“We want the website to become a regular part of people’s lives and that it may spread nationwide.”

The pair also hopes to create an online store where people may be able to purchase personalized products of what they wrote, McDougal said. As far as advertising, they hope to keep the website clean and not have too much distraction on the page.

As TheLoveQuilt.com is an open forum, it provides a means for anyone and everyone to have access to its contents.

“Sharing your story or your shout-out connects you with the other people who have made boxes, and it makes you feel like people care about your feelings, which these people do,” Parks said.

“Everyone loves or cares about someone in their life and expresses feelings towards people,” McDougal said. “This website gives people a place to do that.”