National Random Acts of Kindness week begins Feb. 12, and the Geneseo family is going to let the good deeds for the community and each other radiate out.
The college has created several activities - from collecting spare change for a service organization to free hugs - that organizers hope will inspire participants to reach out in their own way, now and beyond the official week.
“Kindness costs nothing - and who couldn’t use a little more of it?” says Andrea Klein, director of campus scheduling and special events. “It feels good to be kind and to be treated kindly both as the giver and the recipient. It also speaks to the heart of our Geneseo community and values. We value each other and we are an inclusive college family that wants to raise each other up. Little nudges of kindness help us all to be reminded of what is at our core.”
Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to sign the “kindness pledge” and post ideas of how to show kindness on social media.
On Tuesday, in the Union lobby from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., anyone can choose and sign a valentine for someone in the community who may not otherwise receive one.
The mascot, Victor E. Knight, is on hand in Milne Library from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday to give free hugs and high fives.
From Wednesday through Friday, members of the campus community are encouraged to donate spare change, which will benefit Livingston CARES. The nonprofit organization leads several service trips to Long Island and Biloxi every year, among other community-minded projects.
Social media posts will help spread the word, and the idea, says Klein.
