Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. –Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, our lives have changed. Gun control laws are questioned, our schools have instituted safer security practices, and we’ve helped decorate schools with snowflakes. Now there is an award to memorialize one of the children killed in the attack. The entry deadline is this week, which could could make it a good President’s Day activity. Details below.
Rising from the tragedy, kindness has miraculously become more prominent. The 26 Acts of Kindness movement was started by Ann Curry, and in Newtown, Conn., some parents have come together to create Newton Kindness in an effort to foster kindness in children.
The Charlotte Bacon Kindness Award was created by community members and friends of the family of Charlotte Bacon, one of the children killed in the attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School, in an effort to continue spreading kindness through words, art and acts of kindness. From the Newtown Kindness site:
Newtown Kindness will focus its efforts around the Charlotte Bacon Act of Kindness Awards. This initiative will encourage children from around the world to think about and perform simple acts of kindness. The children are also encouraged to tell their act of kindness story in writing or by drawing a picture for a chance to be recognized with a Charlotte Bacon Act of Kindness Award.
The winning entrant will receive the Charlotte Bacon Kindness Award on February 22, the day Charlotte would have turned 6.
Charlotte Bacon Act of Kindness Awards information:
- Anyone 18 and under is eligible.
- Entries preferred, but not restricted, from ages 18 and under.
- Entries are open to children in any location, and not restricted to Newtown.
- Entries must include name, age, contact information, and must received by February 21, 2013
- There is a suggested donation of $5 per entry, which will go to the Charlotte Bacon Kindness Fund (c/o Wells Fargo). Profits will be directed to a 501c3 non-profit organization that supports the Newtown Community in honor of Charlotte Bacon.
- The winners will be announced on February 22, 2013 on Charlotte’s Birthday
- Entries can be sent by mail (Charlotte Bacon Kindness Fund, 2 Old Farm Hill Rd, Newtown, CT 06470) or email [email protected]
Children have the potential to exhibit kindness every day, whether they realize it or not. By sharing their stories through words or art, they have the opportunity to spread and share kindness toward others.
I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for. -Georgia O’Keeffe
