Kindness never goes out of style, which is why schools throughout Orange County have committed to giving back to their communities.
In 2016, the Orange County Department of Education and County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Al Mijares initiated the One Billion Acts of Kindness campaign, designed to build character and promote civility. Anyone can visit the website to document a good deed, large or small.
As of May 16, nearly 15.1 million acts of kindness have been recorded.
One of those acts that especially stands out is that of the Sunny Hills High School ASB class. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, ASB students worked with Breast Cancer Angels, a non-profit organization that financially assists breast cancer patients, to organize a series of creative fundraisers.
First, students in the Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) Club designed BCA-inspired shirts and bracelets to sell, with all profits donated to the campaign. The ASB class also put together their “Soak a Senior” event, where students nominated their peers and faculty to have a cup of water dumped on their head for a small fee.
In addition, the ASB class arranged a “Miracle Minute” school-wide, where students passed envelopes around for donations of any amount.
In total, Sunny Hills ASB raised $3,617 and presented a check to Breast Cancer Angels at the high school’s BCA football game.
The school’s Principal Craig Weinreich shared how proud he is of his students.
“It has been a privilege for me as principal to watch our students not only exhibit high levels of academic excellence each year but also learn how to give back to the community around them as well,” Weinreich said.
Here are some other heartwarming acts of kindness from students and schools around the county.
Smith Elementary School, Huntington Beach City School District
Smith Elementary organized the Smith Elementary’s Fun Run, raising over $55,000 to support various school programs.
Travis Ranch School, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District
Travis Ranch School hosted its annual campus beautification event. Students, parents and administration all worked together to remove any litter before the school’s Open House.
La Quinta High School, Garden Grove Unified School District
Students at La Quinta High School visited nearby Paine Elementary School to talk about their love for reading. This helped inspire the younger students to build their reading skills, while also helping the La Quinta students build character.
Plavan Elementary School, Fountain Valley Elementary School District
Plavan Elementary students helped collect non-perishable food items for Robyne’s Nest, a non-profit that provides resources to at-risk students and youth experiencing homelessness. Plavan quickly exceeded their original goal of 500 food items, collecting more than 1,400 items in total.
Sunnyside Elementary School, Garden Grove Unified School District
Sunnyside Elementary students raised over $700 for the Maui Strong Fund, which provides financial support for recovery efforts in Maui. Students also wrote letters to the first responders, thanking them for their bravery and service.
Westminster High School, Huntington Beach Union High School District
Westminster High School hosted its annual Harvest Day, where students harvested 28,726 pounds of watermelon from the WHS Giving Farm. All produce grown and harvested is donated to the OC Food Bank, which receives roughly 175,000 pounds of produce from the on-campus farm each year.