From November 13 to 22, check back daily for exciting ideas on how to engage with or practice kindness.
In honor of World Kindness Day, we’re embarking on 10 Days of Kindness—and you’re invited to join us! Each day we will reveal ideas for engaging with or practicing kindness.
From exciting giveaways to a special HumanKindness Prize announcement, each day will remind us that we all have the power to be kind and, together, can help build a more connected and kind community.
Explore All 10 Days of Kindness
Happy World Kindness Day! To kick off the celebration, we’ve partnered with Harmony Project to give you a sneak peek of a powerful new music video they’re premiering later today that speaks to our innate desire for connection and kindness. Watch Harmony’s Prison Arts Program participants perform the song “Give” by LeAnn Rimes!
David Brown, Harmony’s Founder and Creative Director, explains: “I believe the voices of the women and men we serve in the Prison Arts Program exemplify that giving can be as simple as giving of ourselves, giving kindness. Hopefully this will resonate beyond the prison walls on World Kindness Day and remind each of us that if we want to receive kindness, we must give kindness.”
Dive Deeper: Harmony Project is building a more inclusive society by breaking down social barriers, bridging community divides, and empowering the voices of people through arts, education, and volunteerism. Sign up for their email list to receive Harmony’s latest news, including programs or performances, and to be notified when chorus registration opens.
We opened up our kindness swag closet during World Kindness Week, and we can't wait to see all who participated display their kindness items in the community! Sign up for the InsideKindness e-newsletter below to stay up-to-date on future swag opportunities!
Dive Deeper: Kindness is a mindset and skill that requires practice! Commit to a few acts of kindness beyond your normal routines. Need inspiration? Check out these community building ideas and this video on the science of kindness, including the power of handwritten notes.
With Thanksgiving front-of-mind, we’ve partnered with Seeds of Caring to create a free guide for helping families engage the next generation of kids or grandkids in conversation about gratitude, kindness, and how they can make a difference. The Family Philanthropy Guide is designed for younger children, but the activities can easily be adapted for family members of all ages.
Dive Deeper: Being fully present and deeply curious while engaging with others is a powerful act of kindness! Conversation games like We’re Not Really Strangers or Actually Curious help build empathy and draw you closer to those you play with. Try them out at your holiday gatherings or even on the phone with loved ones you can’t see in person.
During World Kindness Week, more than 200 people nominated local nonprofits for their role in spreading kindness in the community to receive a $50 grant!
Dive Deeper: Giving Tuesday–which was inspired by The Columbus Foundation’s Big Give–started as a simple idea: a day that encourages kindness in action. Since 2012, Giving Tuesday has been observed the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, and inspires hundreds of millions of individuals to give, help, and share—all in the name of building a kind and just world. Whether it is a financial donation, volunteering in the community, or sharing acts of kindness, how will you join the global movement of giving this year on Giving Tuesday, November 28?
The HumanKindness Prize was created in 2022 to recognize and celebrate nonprofits that exemplify unwavering and intentional human kindness in action. Today, in partnership with The Walter Foundation, we’re excited to introduce you to the newest HumanKindness Prize honoree!
More than 7,500 volunteers and 150 LifeCare Alliance employees are the engine behind the Meals-on-Wheels program, delivering 6,000 meals daily to people in our community who are homebound. The program honors the clients preferences and needs, offering hot, cold, or frozen meals, and accommodating cultural and medical requirements. Clients become friends through the daily deliveries and drivers keep their eye out for their safety. But it isn’t just meals–Meals-on-Wheels also offers assistance with pet care, special holiday treats, and a free box fan in the summer to help keep clients cool.
Fifty years ago, LifeCare Alliance became the second Meals-on-Wheels provider in the United States. The demand for Meals-on-Wheels is up more than 83 percent over pre-COVID numbers, yet LifeCare Alliance has been able to accept those in need without waitlists.
The HumanKindness Prize is accompanied by a $25,000 grant to support Meals-on-Wheels.
Dive Deeper: Volunteers with Meals-on-Wheels deliver the services that nourish the human spirit! LifeCare Alliance has volunteer opportunities for individuals, families, and groups to deliver meals, help in the kitchen, and assist in the pantry. Learn more about how you can spread kindness and provide sustenance here.
As we adjust to the changing seasons, we can cultivate brightness inside our homes through the age-old art of coloring. Coloring relieves stress, improves sleep, and nourishes creativity for people of all ages! We’ve partnered with local artist Natalie Keller Pariano, owner of NatterDoodle, to create this FREE kindness coloring sheet as you settle into the holiday season.
Share your finished artwork with us by posting it on Facebook, Instagram, or X (formerly Twitter) and tagging the Center for HumanKindness or emailing us a photo at kindness@columbusfoundation.org. We’ll enter all participants in a drawing for the opportunity to select a local nonprofit to receive a $100 donation in your honor!
Dive Deeper: A week from today is Small Business Saturday! As you think about your gift list this holiday season, consider purchasing items that bolster the community by shopping at locally-owned businesses and social enterprises. Or, consider making a donation to a nonprofit in honor of your friends and family.
Besa’s annual holiday gift drive, WISH, rallies the community to bring joy to more than 2,000 seniors in our community living on a fixed income. There's still an opportunity to get involved by purchasing items from the Amazon Wish list.
Dive Deeper: Volunteering starts a chain reaction of kindness, like a domino effect of warm and fuzzy feelings that will get you into the holiday spirit! WISH is just one of many volunteer opportunities that Besa offers to connect people to community service and civic engagement. With more than 70 volunteer experiences each month and 200 nonprofit partners, you’re sure to learn more about community needs while meeting new people and having fun. Learn more about how you can get involved!
While snow flurries can feel festive, the colder temperatures can bring challenges for many community members. Thanks to a collaboration with The Walter Foundation, young scholars at United Schools Network are heading into Thanksgiving break cozy and warm with new coats and HumanKIND beanies! There are many ways to partner with organizations to share the warmth of kindness this holiday season–check out a few ideas below.
Dive Deeper: Share the warmth of kindness this winter:
- Community Refugee & Immigration Services (CRIS) is collecting new or gently used blankets and heavy winter coats to help address the urgent needs of the Haitian community at Colonial Village. Items can be dropped off at CRIS’ office located at 4645 Executive Drive this week on weekdays between 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (with the exception of Thanksgiving Day).
- Central Community House is in need of new or gently used kids hats and gloves.
- New and gently used boots, sleeping bags, winter hats, and coats are just a few of the items Star House is requesting as it continues to serve youth who are experiencing homelessness.
- The Gifts of Kindness Fund at The Columbus Foundation partners with nearly 50 local nonprofits to provide emergency assistance to individuals or families facing crisis, like losing housing or disconnected utilities. This Giving Tuesday, November 28, donations to the Gifts of Kindness Fund will be matched dollar-for-dollar!
Now in its seventh year, the Everyday Heroes program, hosted by Columbus Monthly this year, recognizes unsung folks who are strengthening our communities with selfless acts and kindness. You’ll be inspired by these neighbors who have made kindness their mission! The Center for HumanKindness will honor each semi-finalist and finalist by making a donation in their name to the nonprofit of their choice.
We’re celebrating this year’s class of Everyday Heroes at COSI on Wednesday, December 6 at 6:00 p.m. We are giving away FREE tickets—first come, first served. Email kindness@columbusfoundation.org to claim tickets while supplies last. We hope we’ll see you there!
Dive Deeper: The Everyday Hero finalists have profiles in Columbus Monthly this month. Learn more about their transformative acts of kindness, and start thinking about if there is anyone in your life that you might nominate next year!
- Lisa Zimmeran founded Hospets with the goal of keeping seniors and their beloved pets together for as long as possible.
- Drawing on her life experiences, Sherrell Johnson founded Treats 4 the Streets to feed bodies and nourish souls.
- Colleagues call her “hope personified.” Nancy Hashman is a survivor of human trafficking who helps women believe in their ability to forge a new path through her service at Sanctuary Night.
- After being diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 13, Joceyln Green decided that she would not let cancer stop her from giving back to her community.
- Knowing that he wanted to make a difference from a young age, A. Solomon Garner has done just that through grit and determination. Today, he uses agricultural education to introduce kids to career opportunities.
Kind kids can change the world! For the third consecutive year, we partnered with Seeds of Caring, a local nonprofit that empowers youth to create a kinder community, to offer a free World Kindness Day curriculum to educators to share the transformative power of kindness with their students.
This year, 16,343 students representing 93 schools across 30 school districts were introduced to the concept of belonging, a fundamental human need to feel deeply connected with others. Through the curriculum, students also learned about the nonprofit sector, discussed community challenges and opportunities, and chose 95 local nonprofits to support thanks to a pool of $20,000 from the Center for HumanKindness.
Dive Deeper: The World Kindness Day Educator Toolkit features great resources and lessons that grown ups can use, too.
- The youngest students read A Little Spot of Belonging. As author Diane Alber writes, “Do you know how you can help others FEEL like they BELONG, too? You can do this by showing KINDNESS!”
- Upper elementary and middle school students watched We Dine Together to see an example of students looking out for one another. Students then brainstormed ways to foster a sense of belonging at their own schools.
