Spread a random kind act next week

Courtesy+of+the+Center+for+Leadership+and+Community+Engagement+

Courtesy of the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement

Ana Laura Lopes Contiferreira, Staff Reporter

The Happiness club and the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement (CLCE) are hosting a Kindness Week event in order to encourage people to treat others with kindness and respect.

It is a three day event to encourage students to do random acts of kindness. It is a worldwide celebration,” said Jillian Velasquez, program leader at CLCE.

On Feb. 16, Wellington the Wildcat will be in the SURC, giving hugs and taking selfies with attendees.

On Feb. 17, there will be a Kindness Pledge that people can sign up for. Students can take calendars with different acts of kindness split up between seven days, so they can continue participating in act of kindness for an entire week.

On Feb. 18, a board will be posted with the theme “take what you need or put what you can.” Students can write and leave messages on the board for other students to take throughout the day.

Messages range from complements to encouraging people that are facing difficult situations.

In addition, the organizers will distribute little cards promoting acts of kindness, while providing coffee and cookies for everybody.

According to Velasquez, little bags of Hershey’s kisses with messages, buttons and heart-shaped balloons will be distributed with the goal that people give the chocolate to another person and make their day better.

Kindness Week is a worldwide event promoted by the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (RAK Foundation).

“RAKtivists” are described by the RAK Foundation website as kindness ambassadors that are part of a global community.

According to the RAK Foundation website, anyone can be a RAKtivist, the person just needs to believe that kindness can change the world and practicing kind actions can inspire other people to do the same.

The RAK Foundation has stories and ideas about different random acts of kindness that RAKtivists have been a part of.

The RAK Foundation encourages random acts of kindness like donating used books, cleaning up graffiti or letting your teacher know that you appreciate them.

According to the RAK Foundation website, the kindness movement starts with one person using their power to spread kindness to everybody around them.