Kindness Reminders

Hoop-la is one of those wonderful words I remember my mother using back in the day and I'd almost forgotten about its existence. Sometimes she would use hullabaloo... but I digress. HooplaHa.com is a video storytelling website that spotlights positive people doing great things each day on their homepage. I just love finding cool stuff like this to share!

Launched in february with the tagline, "Life with A Smile", HooplaHa's mission is to serve up a daily dose of inspiration. Using online video is a compelling format to tell a story for those of us who like putting a face on the hero and see the good works in action. It really helps you connect to the story and makes it personal.

Last February, I wrote a post about Madison "Peach" Steiner, the founder of Peach's Neet Feet, a non-profit shoe donation project for children battling various forms of life threatening illnesses. Today I read in the Huffington Post that she won the "Extreme Kindness Challenge" from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. I hope this recognition helps her to put more smiles on the faces of sick children with her special shoes!

Will, a retired carpenter who crafts toy trains for kids in his neighborhood, was another Kindness Challenge winner. He, too, is teaching young people a lot about the power of being kind! Watch his video here.

With school bullying and other troubling social issues making news on a daily basis, we have expanded our inventory to include charms that are designed to be attached to the items we use daily to promote peace. The first in the Reminder to Be Kinder charm series is the Remember to Text Kindly charm just released this week.

String-Ring™ Charms are intended to remind us to act responsibly. Keep your texting charm attached to your cell phone as a reminder to pause before you text. Ask yourself, Would I want to receive the text I’m sending? Each charm is made from the highest quality .925 sterling silver and comes with a polishing cloth (sterling silver tends to tarnish and must be polished to keep its shine) and a sterling silver, red string lanyard may be purchased separately. Red is the color symbolic of love and kindness.

My sister shared a story with me the other day about a visitor she’d had during work at the non-profit animal sanctuary Free To Live. This is a place where animals who are not adopted will live out their lives. Euthanasia is not practiced and they rely heavily on donations to stay in operation. This young visitor was willing to help! Accompanied by her parents and a Dora the Explorer backpack loaded up with dog food and treats, the elementary student couldn’t wait to share her birthday gift… a donation for the animals. Seems the little girl told her mother that in honor of her birthday she wanted to bring much needed supplies to the shelter. Along with the backpack she carried a Powerpuff Girls blanket for the dogs. How cute is that? I think she is a little super-power out to save the world before bedtime. (Powerpuff Girl humor)

When I made a blog post earlier this month about the Ben's Bell's Project in Tucson, Arizona, I came across another organization in the Tucson area that touched me. Like Ben's Bell's, the Fund for Civility uses love and understanding to help heal after a period of loss.

My son and a group of his peers were collaborating on an assignment for school last week. He said to me, "You'll love what we're working on, Mom! It's an anti-bullying PSA." He knows me well :)

I was pleased to hear our middle school, Creekwood, has recently joined in the campaign to stop bullying. Today in our local newspaper, I read about the school's club organized to help students deal with bullies that began with 20 students. Aptly named the Stand Up club, hopes to empower students to stand up for themselves and against bullying. The club painted posters to have fellow students sign as a pledge to put an end to bullying.

I'm just glad to see so many students are getting involved to make a more positive social climate in our schools. The old, complaisant attitude of "kids will be kids" when it comes to the bullying issue seems to be shifting. Teachers and students are less likely to turn a blind eye when they witness antagonizing behavior.

Photo credit Kingwood Observer

Who doesn't love Ben & Jerry's ice cream? Can you say Chunky Monkey? Now there is reason to love them even more. The company has always been globally conscious in doing business, from sourcing Fairtrade ingredients to investing in climate-friendly initiatives. Until June 10, the ice cream specialist are celebrating Random Acts of Kindness and are encouraging folks to nominate others who've been caught being kind. The winner and person who nominated them will each receive a year's supply of Ben & Jerry's.

Go to www.randomactsofkindness.com.au to submit your nominee.

Yesterday marked the 13th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting. As a long time advocate of the program, I just wanted to take a moment to remember Rachel and the kindness she exemplified and the positive impact her family has made in her memory. The Rachel's Challenge program created by Rachel's family after her death in the shooting continues to touch lives daily by sharing their assemblies with schools across the country and spreading her message of chain reaction kindness. The program tells of Rachel's commitment to kindness and the family's determination to share her message inspired by her journal writings. The intention of the challenge is to create a permanent cultural change in schools and businesses across the country by delivering proactive antidotes to bullying.

I read an article last week about students at Woodland Middle School in Cincinnati participating in random acts of kindness week via social media. The middle school kids would share positive messages using Facebook and a Twitter account set up for the school during the afternoons and evening hours. The activity was created by the Step program (Students Together Empowering Peers) and the school's student council.

What a refreshing way to see social media being used to spread encouragement in a time where its often used as a tool to intimidate and bully kids.

"It's really important because maybe someone's getting bullied on Facebook from chatting and they go see someone put something nice on their wall. There are a lot of kid that go through their whole day and don't hear from someone else that they're important and that they're valued" - Woodland Middle School student