Some hearts are made out of fleece.

Others are stuffed with cotton or beans, and adorned with beads, charms or tiny pockets.

Students at Island Park Elementary are already feeling the love before the start of the school year, thanks to a fabric heart project. Liana Montague, the Mercer Island Youth and Family Services licensed mental health counselor at Island Park Elementary, has been giving out little fabric hearts to students who come to her office. Montague describes them as “little comfort items” that the students either keep on their desk, take home with them or leave in their pockets, backpacks or coats.

The hearts are “just a reminder of how special they are and that they are loved,” Montague said in an email to the Reporter. “My ultimate goal is for every kid at Island Park to get a heart at some point in their time here, and parents, staff [and] students are incredibly generous to make them for me.”

Each heart, which is approximately 2-3 inches in size — small enough so they won’t cause a distraction — is unique. Montague said that each person who makes a heart brings their own style and imagination.

“They are a huge hit and I am seeing beautiful hearts on desks and in pockets,” she said. “ … I am handing them out almost as fast as I receive them. The kids love the reminder of how much we all care about them.”