The Year of Living Kindly
Looking back on one group's efforts to chronicle, promote, and celebrate kindness in North Central Washington
About a year ago, a man named Gene Sharratt called me and said he would like to promote kindness in the communities of North Central Washington. He asked if I would like to attend a meeting of like-minded individuals to brainstorm how best to do that in 2023.
I had never met Gene, but his enthusiasm for the project was infectious and I am always game to explore opportunities to build bridges rather than walls in our community (it’s one of the reasons my wife and I started the Together Wenatchee Facebook group at the beginning of the pandemic). So a group of about 15 people met at the Confluence Technology Center and talked about how to promote kindness in the new year.
We decided to ask local city governments to proclaim certain days to be “Kindness Counts Day” in their towns and pretty much every city in Chelan and Douglas counties did.
We also set up a website and social media accounts to gather and amplify stories of kindness. We also reached out to leaders in local media and asked if they would partner with us to regularly share some of those stories via their platforms.
Since then I have pulled some of the stories shared on our website and social media and put them into short-form print and web-friendly graphics for those media partners. The graphics feature a brief synopsis of two stories, plus photos, and we usually send out one a week.
The strategy of providing media partners with ready-made good news stories has been successful, and most of the stories we have curated and provided to those partners have been featured in their outlets, from the Wenatchee World to KW3 Radio to NCWLIFE and Source One News.
It has been a project of which I am honored to be a part, and it has offered me the opportunity to meet people like Abbie Gundersen, who is one of the kindest people I have ever met. She’s a former detective from London who is now basically a full-time volunteer (and mom) and it’s impossible to spend any time around her and not walk away feeling a sense of optimism. She’s a high-energy whirlwind of benevolence and I plan to do profile stories on her and Sharratt each soon, but I reached out to both to ask them what this project has meant to them over the course of the year.
Here are my questions and their responses in a Q&A format:
DB: What do you think this project accomplished this year?
AG: I don't think we will ever fully know the impact that this project has had on the wider community, I'd like to think that it will be wide and far-reaching, but I do know that it has had a profound impact on me personally. I have become much more aware of how a simple act of kindness really can make a difference in someone's day. I have looked for more opportunities to teach my young girls how they can be kind. I have met the most incredible group of people and formed lifelong friendships. My life has definitely been enriched this past year by being involved with Kindness Counts NCW. It has been a great platform to raise awareness for so many wonderful organizations that are run by incredible volunteers, to name a few - Happy Letters, Cancer Care NCW, Blue Bridge Alliance, Wenatchee High School RAK club, Ridge to River, The Art Cart and so many more! To summarise, Kindness Counts NCW has made me want to be better and do better and I hope that others feel the same way too.
GS: The Kindness Counts campaign focused on building bridges, not barriers, by turning down the ‘noise’ around differences and increasing the volume around our commonalities, e.g., kindness, thoughtfulness, and civility toward others. To intend of the campaign inspire, recognize, and contribute to acts of kindness, contributing to a healthy community. The Kindness Counts campaign united people around commonalities as we are only as strong as we are united, only as weak as we are divided.
DB: Why did you choose to invest your time and energy in this project?
AG: Right from the start of our very first 'committee meeting' in January I knew that Gene had put together a special group of people to spearhead this campaign, I wasn't quite sure what I was going to add to this incredible group of people but as our first brainstorming meeting resulted in a great outline for the year ahead I knew that this was going to be something pretty special. I was so excited to be working alongside like-minded people who cared about making our community a kinder place to live. I loved feeding off everyone's passion and enthusiasm to get the kindness movement rolling! Prior to joining this project, I was involved in several nonprofit organisations, the main one being only7seconds which is an organisation focusing on ending loneliness through making intentional connections with people. I have learned that when someone is the recipient of an act of kindness it makes them feel less lonely and so I was excited to join only7seconds and the kindness counts movement together! It was a double bonus for me and every committee meeting that I attended only added fuel to my fire!
GS: As a person who admires our community, I felt it is a privilege to give something back and community service builds a stronger community. It is said that ‘service to others is the rent we all pay for our time in this life.’ I want to be of service to my community and what better way than to serve others. Bringing people together around common values is a privilege.
DB: Do you have any favorite memories/kindness stories from the year?
AG: There are so many wonderful stories that were shared that it's hard to pick just one but I think the one that stands out to me was the story shared by Ann Wilson who is 80 years old. She told of how she had gotten a flat tyre whilst at a car wash on Easy Street and how she had been assisted by some Firefighters. They went above and beyond in the way that they came to her rescue and to quote her, she was 'blown away by the kindness and cheerfulness these men displayed in helping me' Her story drew so much attention on Facebook and so many wonderful comments especially about our firefighters. We even had the pleasure of meeting Ann after she was invited to attend one of our KC meetings!
GS: Our regular meetings were full of fun, laughter, and friendship-making. I made many new friends through the Kindness Counts meetings and events. Working closely with Only7Second, Happy Letters, the WHS Random Acts of Kindness Club members, and Hope Squads stand out as special memories. We all loved the BEE KIND outfits that Margie, Abbie, and others wore at Kindness Counts events. Finally, reading, regularly through the Facebook posts has been inspirational.
At one of our first meetings, Gundersen came up with the rhyme “Be kind to all you see in 2023” and as we near the end of the year I think it’s good to look back and celebrate the good, kind and selfless acts that happen around us every day.
It’s so easy to see conflict abroad and cultural, political, and economic tension at home and let that get to you. Watching, reading, or listening to the news can be depressing. It’s important to know what’s going on, but it can leave one feeling nihilistic, apathetic, and powerless.
But if we take time to look and listen to the world around us, wherever we are, we can find examples of kindness in action. From the woman who pays for a stranger’s groceries at the store to the folks who take meals to seniors and visit with them in assisted living facilities, to the guys who go out of their way to plow their neighbors’ driveways and sidewalks when it snows – the world is full of people choosing to be kind every day.
Individually we cannot end wars in places like Gaza and Ukraine, or change the “infotainment” industrial complex that profits by rage-baiting half the American public into hating the other, but we can choose to do something kind every day. Those individual decisions to practice kindness positively impact and inspire other people to do the same. When enough individuals choose to be kind most of the time, it can change communities. Kindness can be a revolutionary act.
Thanksgiving is a good time to take stock and show gratitude for the people in your life who make it worth living. I am grateful I was asked to play a role in this project, and thankful that I got to meet Gene, Abbie, and all the other members of the Kindness Counts committee. Collecting and sharing stories of kindness in action in our community was a weekly reminder of how special this place is.
The committee’s last meeting is next month, and I will provide an update on where the project will go in 2024 after that. If you would like to get involved and be a part of the project’s next phase please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, Gene, or Abbie via the Kindness Counts social media accounts.