Random acts of kindness
Unity Coalition of Garland County promotes ‘Acts of Kindness Challenge’
FROM STAFF REPORTS The Unity Coalition of Garland County continues to promote its “Act of Kindness Challenge” through Garland County school districts in collaboration with the community to demonstrate true kindness through deeds and actions.
In the challenge, which the coalition began in February, district schools can vie for the best student-led kindness project. The winning elementary, middle and high school will each receive $1,000 and a celebration event, a news release says.
To date, there have been 11 applications for the challenge submitted from Garland County schools, and the coalition “has been amazed by the outpouring of ideas coming from area students,” the release said.
Phase II of the challenge is the submission of the schools’ documented plans on April 30, followed by Phase III challenge results on May 4. The winners of the elementary, middle and high school will be announced on May 28.
The criteria for judging the documented plans say the engagement must be student-led, the students’ team must document their process and list the number of persons touched by the act of kindness activity, and the final story must illustrate how the project began and the results, as well as who was impacted.
“Following the George Floyd tragedy, a group of 60 community leaders came together to form the Unity Coalition of Garland County to ensure we do not have a similar event,” the release said, referring to the May 25, 2020, police custody death of Floyd in Minneapolis, Minn., that led to protests around the country.
The coalition’s goal is to promote racial harmony within the county. The group includes representatives from the faith community; city officials,
including the city manager’s office and the police and fire departments; the Garland County Sheriff’s Department; Garland County school district representatives; National Park College; NAACP Branch No. 6013; and nonprofit organizations.
While the COVID-19 pandemic hampered in-person events, the coalition created safety bags with hand sanitizer, gloves, masks, and information that were distributed to residents and assisted in the development of Black and Hispanic history displays in both the Hot Springs police and sheriff departments during February and September, respectively.
The release quotes actor Morgan Freeman, who said, “How do you change the world? One random act of kindness at a time.”
“We want all residents of Garland County to join our students and the Unity Coalition of Garland County in doing random acts of kindness. The Coalition also encourages families to try our Kindness Bingo,” the release said.
Residents can visit https://assets.randomactsofkindness.org/downloads/RAK_kindness_bingo_cards. pdf and download a daily bingo card.
The coalition can also be followed on its Facebook page and one can become an activist for kindness at https://www.facebook.com/unitycoalitiongc/. The coalition can also be contacted at unitycoalitiongc@gmail.com.