12,000 kindness light blue ribbons with pins, miles of light blue ribbon, and Kindness Zone signs will be distributed throughout Calaveras County, in schools, businesses and beyond starting Feb. 13. 22 Kindness Kits will be distributed to the Calaveras schools that include pass it on ribbons and blue ribbon to display, Distribution will be accomplished through voluntary “Kindness Crusaders” in each school.
Hero Essay Contest: Mark Twain Elementary School will present Hero Essays at the Angels Camp City Council meeting in the Bret Harte High School multipurpose room (behind the Bret Harte Theater) Tuesday, Feb. 21 starting at 6 p.m. Master of Ceremonies is Jill Bergantz.
Kindess Resolution: Kindness supporters will speak at the Feb. 14, 2012 Board of Supervisors meeting to pass a resolution to participate in kindness and encourage county residents to practice random acts of kindness. Seven kindness signs have been given to the Board of Supervisors requesting them to install them on Calaveras County signs at each of the seven roads entering Calaveras County.
Ribbon Instructions: “Sign your ribbon.” When you notice someone being kind, give them your ribbon to wear asking them to pass it forward. At the end of the week, place your ribbon where others will see it, reminding them to be kind, or mail your signature-filled ribbon and kindness story to Seeds of Kindness, P.O. Box 677, Murphys, CA 95247.
Funding to Date: All participation is voluntary and free of charge. Funds for kindness supplies are generated from donations.
To Donate: Checks should be made out to the Calaveras County Office of Education (CCOE) with a notation that it is for the “Kindness Fund,” and should be sent to Seeds of Kindness, c/o Jim Bergantz, P.O. Box 677, Murphys, CA 95247.
About Kindness: The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation was established in 1995 to encourage random acts of kindness in communities throughout the United States and beyond. See actsofkindness.org for more information.
History: Seeds of Kindness was formed in 1994 in Angels Camp, spearheaded by Jim & Judy Bergantz, then owners of Bergantz Nursery. Jim & Judy read about an idea, called “Good Neighbor Day”. So they asked the Angels Camp city council to proclaim the 3rd Friday in September as “Good Neighbor Day” Then the Bergantz’ with the help of their growers and own their own provided thousands of long-stemmed roses, giving one dozen per person, to folks visiting their flower shop in Angels Camp, asking them to keep one bloom and give the other 11 away.
On Feb. 7, 1995 the City of Angels City Council passed a resolution that National Random Acts of Kindness Day will be observed on Feb. 17 of each year, that all who live and/or work in the city of Angels will be encouraged to practice Random Acts of Kindness whenever possible, and declared the City of Angels as a Kindness Zone.
Kindness Day turned into Kindness Week in 1996. Roses were replaced with light blue kindness ribbons that were worn by students and individuals, signed, and then passed on to anyone who practiced a random act of kindness. Bolts of light blue ribbon were supplied to area schools to tie around campus and community to celebrate Kindness Week.
In October of 1996, Jim was invited to attend a National Random Acts of Kindness brain storming workshop in Denver, CO.
In 1998, Polly Runke from the “Stop Violence Coalition in Kansas City flew out to conduct an in service Kindness curriculum training at Mark Twain School, resulting in Mark Twain’s Annual Kindness Hero essay contest and kindness activities.
In 2000, Michelson Elementary School in Murphys joined the City of Angels in the Kindness project, and has continued to do so every year.
On Jan. 12, 2010 the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors voted on a resolution to designate Feb. 15-21, 2010 as Kindness Week and proclaim Calaveras County as a Kindness Zone. We expcect them to pass a resolution for 2012 at the Feb. 14th meeting.
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