Kindness Campaign

Kindness Campaign Kindness Week 2005

We had an amazing response to our Kindness Week in Asheville. Surrounded by a dozen children from Evergreen School and “Leo, the Kind-Hearted Lion” (alter ego of Barry Weinhold), Mayor Worley signed a proclamation declaring February 13-20 as Kindness Week in Asheville.

The “Sounds of Kindness” concert at Jubilee, Sunday, Feb. 13, featured Richard Shulman, Marina Raye, Sherman Hoover, Daniel Barber, Linda Kendall-Fields, and members of the Jubilee Choir. A volunteer who was selling tickets at the event reported, “One man said he was buying the ticket for the person behind him in line. She was a complete stranger! She was so pleased that she paid for the person behind her, and folks kept paying it forward down the line for quite awhile!”

Just prior to the beginning of the concert, winners of the children’s Kindness Poster Contest were honored. Winners included Tiara Blair and Brittany Williams, 1st and 2nd Prize (Middle School); Alice Jamison 1st Prize, Tyler McDaniel and Elis Parham, tied 2nd Prize (5th Grade); Darius Rogers, Coli Scoggin, and Quanteria Sitton, 1st Prize, 2nd Prize and Honorable Mention (3rd & 4th Grades); Stevie Waters, Hannah Seidenberg McCall Rice and Erin Mulkey, 1st Prize, 2nd Prize and Honorable Mention (tie) (1st & 2nd Grades).

The Interfaith Celebration of Kindness, co-sponsored by the United Religions Initiative, Christians for a United Community, St. Eugene Roman Catholic Church and the Kindness Campaign, was held at St. Eugene Roman Catholic Church. Nearly 300 people attended. Adding to the festivity were music or dance numbers by the Praise Dancers from Greater New Zion Missionary Baptist Church, the St. Eugene Children’s Choir, the Greenwood Consort, and the Jubilee Dancers. Expressing the theme of kindness in all faith traditions were Frieda Nash of the Asheville Baha’i Spiritual Assembly, L.C. Ray of the GNZ Missionary Baptist Church, Didi Anandausa of Ananda Marga, Richard Stennett of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation (Swannanoa Valley), Father Frank Cancro of St. Eugene’s Roman Catholic Church, Sharon Oxendine of the American Indian Lumbee Nation, and Cantor Debbie Winston of Temple Beth Ha-Tephila. Judith Toy of the Buddhist Cloud Cottage Sangha led a “tonglen” meditation, breathing in the suffering of the world and breathing out peace and kindness. Ahmad Amara, representing the Muslim faith, was unfortunately ill, but Robin Wells of the URI read his excerpts from the Koran about kindness. Susun Slatky and Shiner Antiorio provided sign interpretation for the deaf. The potluck dinner afterwards gave everyone a chance to taste one another’s foods and to chat informally.

Interfaith Dialogue Dinners Extend the Effects of Kindness Week

To increase our interfaith connections, the Kindness Campaign is launching a series of “Interfaith Dialogue Dinners.” Thirty-six people have applied to be part of the initial dinner groups. These will be groups of six to nine people from diverse religious or faith traditions that will gather for a series of three dinners to explore the religious and spiritual connections they may have around the theme of kindness. Trained facilitators will help guide the dialogue process. The groups will begin meeting in March. If you are interested in joining an Interfaith Dialogue Dinner group or starting your own, please contact Cathy Holt at (828) 252-3054.

Other events of Kindness Week: several well-attended showings of the movie “Pay It Forward,” and a terrific performance by the Asheville Playback Theater of the audience’s stories of kindness. Children’s posters were on display at the Asheville Mall, Sky People Gallery, the YWCA, Jubilee and Pack Library.

Emma Family Resource Center Receives Community of Kindness Award

On February 16, a “Community of Kindness” award was given to the Emma Family Resource Center (EFRC) for their contributions to the community. “Communities are sustained when their members work to sustain each other,” according to Arenda Manning, director. Emma is home to a large and growing immigrant population and EFRC’s programs and services strive to meet the unique needs of these families. Their programs of emergency assistance include a food pantry, emergency assistance for housing, heating oil, utilities, and prescriptions, and a clothing closet. There is a free medical clinic and a WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) clinic.

The “Emma Bucks” Project is a community service exchange program modeled on Time Dollars, which makes it possible for neighbors to do things for one another and get their needs met mutually, without the use of cash. For example, a woman might drive an elderly neighbor to a doctor appointment and run some other errands, in exchange for Emma Bucks—which she could then use to hire a teenager to mow her lawn.

EFRC also offers “Love and Logic” Parenting Classes, a Latino Parent-Child Playgroup, a Homework Club, ESL classes, a summer camp, “Growing Minds-Healthy Bodies” (nutrition, gardening, physical activities), Family Gardening, and “Emma Walk & Talk” for adults.

The Kindness Campaign will be working with the Advisory Board to design an awards ceremony that recognizes all the kind people who are making a difference in this neighborhood. The Awards will be presented at potluck dinner of the neighborhood residents.

Have you received a “Spread Kindness” button? Turn it over and you will see how you can keep track of your button after you pass it on to the next kind person. Visit a section of this website, www.thekindnesscampaign.org, and record your button number and how you received it and to whom you passed it on. This will help the Kindness Campaign collect stories of everyday and outstanding kind acts and help you find out how far your button has traveled seeking other kind people.

by- Cathy Holt

KC Asheville's Kindness Week February 2005

"Kindness is the light that dissolves all walls between souls, families, and nations." - Paramahansa Yogananda

Friday, February 10, Mayor Charles Worley will sign a proclamation declaring February 13 - 20 as Kindness Week in Asheville. This Kindness Week is being celebrated in more than 300 other communities nationwide. To kick things off, there will be a “Sounds of Kindness” concert at Jubilee on Sunday, February 13 at 3 PM with Richard Shulman and friends. The cost is $10 and $6 for seniors and children. In addition to Richard Shulman, performing will be Marina Raye, who is billed as “the feminine voice of the native flute,” Sherman Hoover, Daniel Barber, members of the Jubilee choir, and others. Come join us for this fun-filled afternoon.

At the start of the February 13th concert, there will be a presentation of the winning posters of the Kindness Poster Contest for school children. The artists will be recognized and their winning posters will be unveiled. This contest is open to grades 1-12; guidelines for entries can be found at www.weinholds.org/kindness.asp and www.kindnesscampaign.us. For the rest of Kindness Week, the posters will be displayed in prominent locations around town.

An Interfaith Celebration of Kindness will be held Tuesday, February 15 at 6 p.m. at St. Eugene’s Catholic Church with ten different faith groups each expressing the importance of kindness in their tradition, through song, story and dance. Representatives from the various faith traditions include Islamic, Jewish, Christian (Catholic and Protestant), Hindu, Bahai, Buddhist, Unitarian, Native American, Russian Orthodox and Earth-based Religion. This celebration is co-sponsored by the Kindness Campaign, the United Religions Initiative, Christians for a United Community and St. Eugene’s Catholic Church. The celebration will be followed by a potluck dinner. People are encouraged to bring food to share that represents their faith tradition. It is free and open to all faiths. Call 252-3054 if you have any questions.

On Wednesday, February 16 at 6 PM, will be a free showing the movie “Pay It Forward” at Lord Auditorium at the main Library downtown. The film, starring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment, will also be shown at people’s homes in various neighborhoods around the city the next evening, Thursday, February 17. Call 252-3054 for information on the location and times for these neighborhood presentations. This movie portrays a 7th grade boy setting out to change the world through acts of kindness, and succeeding far beyond his imagination.

The week concludes with a performance by the cast of Playback Theater on Saturday, February 19, 7:30 p.m. at the Reuter Center, UNCA. Playback Theatre, directed by Raphael Peter, will invite audience members to share kindness stories and then the actors will improvise a reenactment of the story, often highlighting new meanings and deeper understanding. The cost is $10 and $5 for seniors and children. 

School groups will be invited to do service projects, and Kindness Circles will be forming—the members simply agree to do three acts of kindness a week, and meet once a month (or more) to share their stories. If you would like to start or join such a Circle, or to volunteer with the campaign, please contact Barry Weinhold at: (828) 686-1890

Kinder and Safer Schools

Jane Cole, a primary grades teacher at Evergreen School, has introduced the Kindness Campaign to her students. She began by giving a Kindness button to the first student she caught doing something kind. That child then passed the button on to another student who did a kind thing, and so forth. Sometimes, she says, that one button changes hands a dozen times in one day! The last student to receive the button passes it on the next day. The program is now spreading into other classrooms. Also adopting the Kindness Campaign’s Kind and Safe Schools Program are three fifth grade teachers from Isaac Dickson School, thanks to the initiative of Keena Proctor. The Asheville Catholic School is planning to begin a yearlong program using the Kindness Campaign’s curriculum starting in August 2005. Children from all three of these schools created holiday greeting cards that were given to residents of retirement centers on Christmas Day by a men’s group, led by Stephen Houpis and Stephen Levine. A group of 10 area residents visited these centers, sang Christmas carols, presented cards and gave gifts to the residents. Stephen H added, “We all agreed that this was a meaningful way to spread the spirit of kindness at Christmas time. We are thinking of doing this more often throughout the year.” School children will be making Valentine’s and taking them to retirement centers and nursing homes on February 14.

KC Asheville's Plans for Kindness Week February 13-20, 2005

"Kindness is the light that dissolves all walls between souls, families, and nations." - Paramahansa Yogananda

Friday, February 10, 2005 Mayor Charles Worley will sign a proclamation declaring February 13 - 20 as Kindness Week in Asheville. This Kindness Week is being celebrated in more than 300 other communities nationwide. To kick things off, there will be a “Sounds of Kindness” concert at Jubilee on Sunday, February 13 at 3 PM with Richard Shulman and friends. The cost is $10 and $6 for seniors and children. In addition to Richard Shulman, performing will be Marina Raye, who is billed as “the feminine voice of the native flute,” Sherman Hoover, Daniel Barber, members of the Jubilee choir, and others. Come join us for this fun-filled afternoon.

At the start of the February 13th concert, there will be a presentation of the winning posters of the Kindness Poster Contest for school children. The artists will be recognized and their winning posters will be unveiled. This contest is open to grades 1-12; guidelines for entries can be found at www.weinholds.org/kindness.asp and www.kindnesscampaign.us. For the rest of Kindness Week, the posters will be displayed in prominent locations around town.

An Interfaith Celebration of Kindness will be held Tuesday, February 15 at 6 p.m. at St. Eugene’s Catholic Church with ten different faith groups each expressing the importance of kindness in their tradition, through song, story and dance. Representatives from the various faith traditions include Islamic, Jewish, Christian (Catholic and Protestant), Hindu, Bahai, Buddhist, Unitarian, Native American, Russian Orthodox and Earth-based Religion. This celebration is co-sponsored by the Kindness Campaign, the United Religions Initiative, Christians for a United Community and St. Eugene’s Catholic Church. The celebration will be followed by a potluck dinner. People are encouraged to bring food to share that represents their faith tradition. It is free and open to all faiths. Call 252-3054 if you have any questions.

On Wednesday, February 16 at 6 PM, will be a free showing the movie “Pay It Forward” at Lord Auditorium at the main Library downtown. The film, starring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment, will also be shown at people’s homes in various neighborhoods around the city the next evening, Thursday, February 17. Call 252-3054 for information on the location and times for these neighborhood presentations. This movie portrays a 7th grade boy setting out to change the world through acts of kindness, and succeeding far beyond his imagination.

The week concludes with a performance by the cast of Playback Theater on Saturday, February 19, 7:30 p.m. at the Reuter Center, UNCA. Playback Theatre, directed by Raphael Peter, will invite audience members to share kindness stories and then the actors will improvise a reenactment of the story, often highlighting new meanings and deeper understanding. The cost is $10 and $5 for seniors and children. Tickets for this performance and the February 13 musical concert are available a Malaprop’s, Mystic Journeys and Barnes & Noble, at the door or by calling 252-3054.

School groups will be invited to do service projects, and Kindness Circles will be forming—the members simply agree to do three acts of kindness a week, and meet once a month (or more) to share their stories. If you would like to start or join such a Circle, or to volunteer with the campaign, please contact Cathy Holt, volunteer coordinator: (828) 252-3054.

Kinder and Safer Schools

Jane Cole, a primary grades teacher at Evergreen School, has introduced the Kindness Campaign to her students. She began by giving a Kindness button to the first student she caught doing something kind. That child then passed the button on to another student who did a kind thing, and so forth. Sometimes, she says, that one button changes hands a dozen times in one day! The last student to receive the button passes it on the next day. The program is now spreading into other classrooms. Also adopting the Kindness Campaign’s Kind and Safe Schools Program are three fifth grade teachers from Isaac Dickson School, thanks to the initiative of Keena Proctor. The Asheville Catholic School is planning to begin a yearlong program using the Kindness Campaign’s curriculum starting in August 2005. Children from all three of these schools created holiday greeting cards that were given to residents of retirement centers on Christmas Day by a men’s group, led by Stephen Houpis and Stephen Levine. A group of 10 area residents visited these centers, sang Christmas carols, presented cards and gave gifts to the residents. Stephen H added, “We all agreed that this was a meaningful way to spread the spirit of kindness at Christmas time. We are thinking of doing this more often throughout the year.” School children will be making Valentine’s and taking them to retirement centers and nursing homes on February 14.