Barry K. Weinhold,
Director, The Kindness Campaign
The following are the success indicators in Colorado Springs where the Kindness Campaign operated from 1994-2003,
• Participating neighborhood selected for “All-American Cities” award.
• Colorado Springs one of three U. S. cities named as “A Community of Kindness.”
• Started Kindness Campaign in 125 area elementary, middle and high schools serving over 70,000 students.
• Local CBS affliate TV station becomes media sponsor for five years.
• Viewer survey by media sponsor finds that 75% of viewers saw the Kindness Campaign as having a “significant effect” on reducing violence in the community.
• Campaign spreads to over 600 schools in U. S. and Canada and to 11 other cities.
• TV station creates a “Kindness Line” where people reported acts of kindness in the community. Received thousands of calls. At the end of the evening news, each night they played one of these messages on the air to viewers.
• Research shows that the Kindness Campaign in participating schools reduced peer violence (fighting, bullying, etc.) by over 30%; put-downs up to 90%.
• Media sponsor’s News Department rated top Regional News Show
• Established Annual Kindness Week celebration with special kindness events and a proclamation from the Mayor’s office.
• Established an Inter-faith Celebration of Kindness among area church and faith groups.
• KC volunteers made over 400 presentations on the Kindness Campaign to community and civic groups.
• Media sponsor created news features building from reported acts of kindness
• Established an Annual Community of Kindness Awards Celebration recognizing hundreds of children and adults for their acts of kindness.
• Campaign led to another organization starting “dialogue dinners” to bring people with differing values together to build “common ground.”
• Business adopted schools to help pay for starting the Kindness Campaign in that school and they rewarded employees for volunteering at adopted schools.
• Campaign led to creation of Community Forums on Race and on Education.
• New mayor makes returning kindness and civility to government her top priority.
• Neighborhoods create programs to recognize “Kindest Neighbors.”
• Pre-schools ask for help in reducing unkind behavior. Leads to the creation of a “Kind Beginnings” curriculum to teach kindness and respect to pre-school children.
• Parents request help to bring more kindness into their families. This leads to the creation of the “Raising Kind Kids” guide for parents.
• Columbine tragedy inspires new play for high schools and colleges to raise consciousness about the “culture of violence” in schools.
For more information on starting a Kindness Campaign in your community, contact Dr. Barry K. Weinhold, founder and director, at (828) 686-1890 or email HERE.
The address of the Kindness Campaign is:
117 Lady Slipper Trail,
Swannanoa, NC 28778
Recent Comments