In 2016, a movement began with a simple yet profound aim.
At the direction of County Superintendent Dr. Al Mijares, the Orange County Department of Education launched the One Billion Acts of Kindness campaign. The initiative was an ambitious call to educators, students and families to document and share their acts of kindness, big and small.
The mission was to, at some point in the future, hit one billion good deeds. But the underlying goal was to promote civility, character and positive school climates that would ripple out into all communities.
Seven years later, we’ve logged an impressive 14,939,605 acts of kindness at the website kindness1billion.org and on social media using the hashtag #Kindness1Billion.
According to our math, that means we’re just 60,395 acts away from reaching an even 15 million, and we’d really like to see that number soon.
But we need your help. We know you’re busy, but we’re also confident that you’re already committing countless acts of kindness each day. So we humbly ask that you take a moment to log them on our site. It only takes a few seconds.
Remember that kind acts come in all sizes, from helping a sibling with homework or holding a door for a stranger to, well, an organ donation.
Here’s how you can help us get to the 15 million mark:
- Log your acts. Visit kindness1billion.org to document your kind acts. It’s quick and easy.
- Share your story. Got a memorable act of kindness? Share it with us on social media using the hashtag #Kindness1Billion. Inspire others with your story.
- Spread the word. Encourage your friends, family and colleagues to join in. Every act of kindness brings us closer to our goal.
Don’t forget to log your kind acts on the kindness1billion.org website. For more on kindness, check out these stories we’ve shared on the OCDE Newsroom, including the “Exploring Kindness” episode of The Deeper Learning Podcast, hosted by Orange County Superintendent Dr. Al Mijares.