By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
A new initiative launched by the Noyes Home for Children is celebrating the kindness of people in the St. Joseph community.
Kindness St. Joseph encouraged students' kindergarten through 12th grade to write essays about the kindest person they know. Almost 800 were submitted.
Executive Director Chelsea Howlett says the goal of the program is to recognize people in the community for the acts of kindness that they show
"We want to be able to recognize that one small act of kindness can have a ripple effect, and we have no idea how far reaching those kind acts can go," Howlett tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "We have no idea what impact we may have on others, but we do want to take a moment to honor those in that we know in our community are doing great things and hopefully inspire more kindness across all generations that live here in St. Joseph.
Howlett says this brand-new initiative was designed to help recognize and celebrate kindness in St. Joseph
"Last fall we challenged kindergarten through 12th graders to write a one-page essay about the kindest people they know, and from those essays we were able to get down to the top essay winner for every grade level," Howlett explains. "We did have 774 submissions, which was great for the first year, participation from private schools as well as public schools, and we even have a home schooler that's going to be honored at the event."
Howlett says people in the community were also asked to write essays about Kindness Keepers.
Howlett says there were many essays about moms, teachers, grandmas, but says what stood out were essays about people that students don't really have a relationship with
"One thing really stood out in the 774 essays, there were eight essays that all came in for the same gentleman," Howlett says. "And that is Larry Miller, who is known affectionally as 'The Walking Waver', he walks on Faraon and Frederick and out on Riverside by the hospital and the cancer center, and his whole purpose is to bring joy to people."
Winners will be honored during the event on Saturday at the East Hills Mall Courtyard, starting at 6pm. The Noyes Home announced on Facebook Thursday afternoon tickets had sold out
JOURNAL
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.