Random Act of Kid-ness: YOUmanity

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from Ankeny, IA, where students at a local high school started an anti-bullying program called YOUmanity. YOUmanity is being launched throughout schools in the Midwest  to promote random acts of kindness and general good will toward others. Check out what this program means to both the students and the entire community in this article.

We really love this program and encourage you to read more about it here.

Random Act of Kid-ness: Game that Grants a Wish

Random Acts of Kid-ness are not necessarily about specific kids who are help making the world a better place. Every so often, we highlight tools that might help kids learn random acts of kindness, and today we’re doing just that.

For this week’s Random Act of Kid-ness, we feature a partnership between the nonprofit charity, Wish Upon A Hero, and the Facebook game, A Better World. A Better World is a free game that focuses on encouraging people to do good deeds. Players can create characters, play games, care for pets, and much more, but the way the players progress in the game is by doing kind things for others, both inside and outside of the virtual game. The charity Wish Upon a Hero wants to grant a wish for Gracie’s Place, a special needs school for children. Gracie’s Place wants a new transport van to assist more children and families in need.

Through this partnership, people can sign into A Better World and visit the Sanctuary of Hope section of the game. Players can post a dream or hope, or support those of others. If 100,000 hopes are posted or supported, ToonUps (the creator of the game) will answer the wish of Gracie’s Place in order to help them fulfill the hopes and dreams of these special needs kids. ToonUps Vice President of Product Development, Gregory Hansell, says:

“Our players are absolutely extraordinary in their support and desire to do the right thing. We’re excited that this month, our players can make real world dreams come true for special needs children by sharing their own hopes and dreams inside the game.”

You can read a lot more about this story and how you can help grant a wish by playing A Better World here.

Do you know of other fun games that promote random acts of kindness? Share them below!

Random Act of Kid-ness: Mitzvah Chefs

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from the Bay Area, where first through eighth graders at Peninsula Temple Sholom prepare and deliver meals to local residents in need. This program, called Mitzvah Chefs, is based on the ideas of mitzvah, meaning charity or good deed, and tikkun olam, or helping/repairing the world.

The temple’s Youth Director Yael Zaken says,

“It’s really important to start within your own community. And [we teach them] for it to be not only the people of your religion or ethnicity or race. We make sure we have a discussion about the best ways to make the world a better place.”

That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? At the Zimmer, every single one of our exhibits focuses on learning human values such as respect for others, helping those in need , generosity, and making the world a better place. We are focused on the BIG IDEAS of global citizenship, community responsibility, and cultural sensitivity.

Click here to read more about Mitzvah Chefs.

What can you do to make the world a better place? Why not start by playing your way to a better world at the Zimmer?

Random Act of Kid-ness: 8 Year Old Donates Life Savings To Family That Lost Home

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from South Carolina, where 8 year old Fischer Cook did something very selfless to help those in need. When he heard that a family of five lost their home in a fire, Fischer decided to give the family all $300 in his bank account. Once people found out about Fischer’s generosity, community members helped to match his gift, bringing the total donations to about $1,000.

To read (and watch) more about Fischer and his good deed, click here.

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“Once you begin to acknowledge random acts of kindness – both the ones you have received and the ones you have given – you can no longer believe that what you do does not matter.” -Dawna Markova

Random Act of Kid-ness: Making a Difference in the Lives of Classmates

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes from Hamden, CT, where 13 year old David Mann, Jr. learned that doing good deeds really does pay off. David noticed that 2 of his classmates who have special needs had been ostracized in school, and he decided to put that to a stop. He befriended the kids and started to help them with homework that they did not understand. David also integrated the 2 kids into his lunch group so that they no longer sit alone in the cafeteria. He says, “It makes me feel awesome to know that I made a difference in their lives by helping them in class.”

David was recently awarded an iPod by Dr. Jeffrey D. Gold, who recognizes the importance of being kind to others.

“Doing good deeds – defined as deeds which benefit others rather than the individual doing the deed – is a step in the right direction: the kind of step which has built this country and even this world.”

                                                                                                                                                    -Dr. Gold

Read more about David and Dr. Gold’s Do A Good Deed contest here.

As you start to make your New Year’s resolutions this week, why not think about more random acts of kindness YOU can do to make the world a better place?!

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“Once you begin to acknowledge random acts of kindness – both the ones you have received and the ones you have given – you can no longer believe that what you do does not matter.” -Dawna Markova 

Random Act of Kid-ness: Love in the Mirror

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from Long Beach, CA, where 7 year old Jonas founded Love in the Mirror. Love in the Mirror is a charitable organization that “strives to inspire young people to make a difference through their volunteer commitment of providing needy and homeless youth basic necessities such as food, clothing and learning materials.” Jonas founded the organization in 2009 to help kids in need by collecting items that he felt they should not live without.

Jonas says:

I want to help kids because they don’t have food, clothes, toys and some don’t go to school. I want to help them out so they can feel happy for themselves and thankful for people like me. It makes me feel happy that I am helping and that is why I wanted to start Love in the Mirror. 

I chose the name because it reminds me of a song and the song makes me think of people who don’t have toys and clothes and because every kid should look in the mirror and love themselves.

Check out the events that Jonas and Love in the Mirror have planned, and let us know if you’ve been inspired like we have!

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“Once you begin to acknowledge random acts of kindness – both the ones you have received and the ones you have given – you can no longer believe that what you do does not matter.” -Dawna Markova 

Random Act of Kid-ness: Karma’s World

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness features a new website that promotes good deeds among children. The website Karma’s World was developed by Ludacris and his 10 year old daughter, Karma Bridges, as a way for children to have fun while learning about kindness, honesty, and manners. Ludacris says:

We wanted the site to be educational, fun and full of music that all kids will enjoy, but we also wanted it to teach kids more than just academics. The site touches on subjects like, the rewards of hard work and importance of learning manners as well as the idea that doing good deeds for others will bring good into your life – which is the meaning of the word Karma. 

We love when parents and their kids work together on projects to make this world a better place! Check out the website, and let us know what you think! For more information, click here.

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“Once you begin to acknowledge random acts of kindness – both the ones you have received and the ones you have given – you can no longer believe that what you do does not matter.” -Dawna Markova 

Random Act of Kid-ness: Military Kid of the Year

This past weekend was Veteran’s Day, and in honor of that, this week’s Random Act of Kid-ness is Our Military Kids‘ “2011 Military Kid of the Year.” 11 year old Tristan Fissette from Illinois was given this award in honor of the time he spends volunteering at a local food pantry feeding the hungry. He also volunteers by helping new students at his school.

“These grants help our military kids understand that America really appreciates the service and sacrifices made by our military families,” retired General Peter Pace said at the awards ceremony.

To read more about Tristan and his grant, click here.

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“Once you begin to acknowledge random acts of kindness – both the ones you have received and the ones you have given – you can no longer believe that what you do does not matter.” -Dawna Markova 

Random Act of Kid-ness: Superheroes of Kindness

Did you know that this week was World Kindness Week? The Superheroes
of Kindness certainly did not forget. This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from some seriously kind kids from Missoula, MT.

The Superheroes of Kindness find their home at the Missoula Community School. This band of superheroes is comprised of twelve three and four year olds who understand that they are not too small to make a difference in their community and their world. Unlike other superheroes, they do not fight crime or use acts of violence. Their superpower is kindness, and they are using this superpower to access compassion in others. Their mission is to permeate the city (and beyond) with joy and understanding.

For World Kindness Week, these little heroes walked around in superhero capes delivering paper flowers to their community members. How sweet!

Nominate someone today, and maybe someone you know will be our Random Act of Kid-ness next week!

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“Once you begin to acknowledge random acts of kindness – both the ones you have received and the ones you have given – you can no longer believe that what you do does not matter.” -Dawna Markova 

Random Act of Kid-ness: “Sewing Threads of Hope”

For this week’s Random Act of Kid-ness, we look to Manhattan, where 12 year old Quillyn Smith won an essay contest about kids doing good deeds. In her essay, Quillyn wrote about how she sews quilts for children in a Chinese orphanage. She was adopted from China when she was just 16 months old, and now her new sister will be adopted from China as well.

“I made the quilt for my sister who is four now and we’re adopting her from China this fall so I thought it would be helpful and neat to make baby quilts for the other kids in the orphanage,” ‘Quillyn told 13 News. She says the quilt take hours to complete and she’s been taking sewing lessons. The quilts are meant to keep the kids warm and comfortable in the orphanage but also let them know that someone is thinking about them.

Read more about Quillyn and her quilts here.

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“Once you begin to acknowledge random acts of kindness – both the ones you have received and the ones you have given – you can no longer believe that what you do does not matter.” -Dawna Markova