World Kindness Day
Circle with swirling blue and green colors that resemble a globe with overlaying cursive letter text of World Kindness Day
From Director of Lifecycle and Community Programming, Courtney Adams:
One way that my husband and I like to spread kindness is by helping our older neighbors. We live in a building with several other condos. A bit under half of the units are owned by older residents. When the pandemic began and safety procedures were not entirely clear, we made grocery trips, secured valuable toilet paper, and even taught one person how to use Zoom to communicate with family members. While these neighbors have insisted they do not need as much help these days, we still always look out for ways to make their lives a bit easier or more enjoyable. As a result of reaching out, we have connected with our neighbors much more and these small acts have brought friendship and kindness to all of our lives!
From Inclusion Specialist, Dr. Janie Avant:
I have made a conscious effort to reach out to friends and family members that I can't see now because of the pandemic. I use the alarm feature on my phone so I don't forget to make those important calls - several of my family members are in a group-living setting and have had to shelter-in-place for months now. They have intellectual disabilities and this has been extremely hard on them - they just don't understand why we can't be together for things like birthdays and holidays. I also set up a Zoom family reunion - we had family from Texas, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama all together virtually. Not as good as in person - but it still created a connection! The staff at the group living settings even used their own phones to be sure our family members could be included!
From Director of the Storyteller Project, Emily Pappa:
Cooking in our house is a family affair. We love the time we spend together creating meals and baked goods. Almost every weekend, we are sure to make a little extra food to share with someone in our life. Each day is so very busy and stressful right now that sometimes the thought of making a meal can be overwhelming. We get that in our house! We love that the food we make can help ease the daily load of a family member or friend. The sharing of our final product isn't the only way our cooking is an opportunity to demonstrate kindness. The process of cooking together is one that involves lots of listening to one another, sharing, patience, and taking turns. All things that are important when being kind to others! Also, definitely skills that are good for kids and adults to practice.
From Senior Program Director, Katy Fattaleh:
In our family, we spread kindness with a smile and a wave. We make a point of smiling and waving to folx we see as we’re out driving or walking in the neighborhood. Especially during the pandemic when we are kept from friends and family that we love, it’s so important to create a connection with our neighbors. And who doesn’t love a genuine smile and a wave from a very cute 2 year old?!
From Executive Director, Lauren Schrero:
One of our favorite ways to show kindness is to celebrate the birthdays of those we love. In this Covid-era, we start every morning by checking our calendars to see if any family members or friends have a birthday. Then, at breakfast, we record the family singing “happy birthday” and saying a little birthday message. We love sending the videos to the birthday celebrators and getting their responses! We’ve also been using the “Card Snacks” app to send sweet cards and gifts--small tokens make a big difference!