March 25, 2024 - Locally inspired in our York community by a random act of kindness on Good Friday morning between two strangers, one of whom was Kevin Smith, when his wallet was returned within moments after he discovered it was lost. The spirit of Kindness Week is to promote acts of kindness, encourage good deeds, and pay them forward to improve our communities and spread the joy of kindness to all. What began as a simple attempt to identify the young Good Samaritan woman and acknowledge her in a more meaningful way by “going the extra mile” for her as she did for him subsequently assumed a life of its own. It became a fascinating adventure of a lifetime and the most meaningful pursuit of my life. The story was initially covered by WGAL 8 and quickly spread nationwide - even attracting attention from “Inside Edition,” television’s longest-running syndicated news program. During Kindness Week schools, service and faith-based organizations, businesses, families and all community constituents are encouraged to mobilize to express, display, and promote kindness in ways limited only by the bounds of imagination and creativity. One of the means all are encouraged to “go the extra mile” for kindness is to donate blood. It costs nothing other than our time, can literally save a life, and is a great example of “paying it forward.” When you show kindness, or are the beneficiary of an act of kindness, you are encouraged to share your kindness stories by reporting them on the website or social pages of the new nonprofit inspired by this random act of kindness, Kindness Worldwide, and use designated hashtags. The vision of Kindness Worldwide is to “create a culture of kindness” in our local communities and beyond through multiple initiatives, including the issuance of Kindness Citations by police departments, mass community distribution of “See the Good” and “Be the Good” cards to remind us of the importance of all the “little things” and make kindness intentional in our daily lives and routines, the development and implementation of kindness curriculums throughout our schools, and official recognition of humanity’s greatest asset, Kindness, by governing bodies. Proclamations and formal recognition of Kindness Week have already been made by the city of York, York and Adams counties, and the state of Pennsylvania thus far. That’s a good start, but not nearly enough!
