What once started as “Good Neighbor Day” in Angels Camp
in 1994, 20 years later has burgeoned into a county-wide
Kindness Week to take place Feb. 9-15, 2014.
This good-will event is the brainchild of
Jim and Judy Bergantz of Angels Camp. In those early years as
owners of Bergantz Nursery, Jim and his family, with the help
of their suppliers, gave out thousands of roses - a dozen to
each person. Each recipient was instructed to keep one rose
and give the other 11 out to those who did a good deed.
In 1995 the Angels Camp City Council
officially claimed Feb. 17 as “Kindness Day.” On Jan.28, 2014
the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors is expected to
unanimously proclaim the second week of February as “Kindness
Week,” as well as re confirming Calaveras County to be a
“Kindness Zone.”
This year Seeds of Kindness Week reaches
out to Calaveras
County
schools, businesses, co-workers and individuals, and actually,
anyone who wants to participate. 10,000 light blue ribbons
with pins will be passed on as “ripples of kindness”
activities commence throughout the week-long event. 3.4 miles
of light blue ribbon will be tied around trees, light posts,
signs and more, resounding the kindness message throughout Calaveras
County.
With the help of Calaveras County
Superintendent of Schools, Kathy Northington and district
school superintendents, all Calaveras schools have been
invited to participate. A request went out to the schools to
appoint a “Kindness Crusader,” who would be in charge of
distributing ribbons and instructions. The kindness kits are
being deliver this week, so that each School can fashion its
own version of kindness activities.
Each school will receive a Kindness Kit,
the official diamond shape, yellow Kindness Zone signs were
delivered in 2010 and posted at the entrance to the school,
hang at meetings and assemblies; a Kindness Zone proclamation;
several hundred feet of light-blue ribbon; “pass it forward”
Kindness ribbons with pins; instruction cards and a list of
kindness activities, opportunities and participation ideas, as
well as contact information for where to go for additional
information or supplies.
Instructions for using the Kindness ribbons
is simple: “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 Kindness Week, place your ribbon where
others will see it, reminding them to be kind, or mail your
signature-filled ribbon and kindness story to The Seeds of
Kindness, P.O.
Box 677, Murphys, CA 95247.” Bergantz is also
making plans to showcase the returned ribbons in the Calaveras
County Office of Education building after the event
.
The Seeds of Kindness committee, consists
of a handful of spirited volunteers,
Crissy and Dale Huey, Jill and Loren Carley, Judy and Jim Bergantz
Crissy and Dale Huey, Jill and Loren Carley, Judy and Jim Bergantz
Kindness activities could include anything
from a smile and opening the door for a classmate or friend,
to donating clothes to the Calaveras Crisis Center,
deliver a cooked meal to a homebound senior or a stuffed
animal to a child who is in the hospital.
Ideas for kindness activities can be found online at theseedsofkindness.com or actsofkindness.org.
Ideas for kindness activities can be found online at theseedsofkindness.com or actsofkindness.org.
In addition to kindness activities, schools
are encouraged to hold “Hero” letter contests, where students
write about their Kindness hero, which is then read out loud
by the author to their “hero.”
“The wonderful thing about kindness is that
it’s totally contagious,” adds Bergantz. “Please join us in
helping spread the ripples of kindness throughout Calaveras
County,
by doing one kind deed every day"
