One Billion Acts of Kindness

#kindness1billion: Los Alamitos High senior donates more than 1,000 books to students in East Los Angeles

Staff reports March 17, 2022

OC schools are ready to take on the Great Kindness Challenge

Nichole Pichardo January 24, 2022

#kindness1billion: Garden Grove USD grad gives back by donating backpacks to kindergarteners

Nichole Pichardo August 30, 2021

#kindness1billion: A roundup of random acts of kindness shared (so far) in 2021

Nichole Pichardo April 28, 2021

#kindness1billion: Davis Magnet School students raise funds for OCDE’s Inside the Outdoors program

Nichole Pichardo April 7, 2021

Students from OCDE’s Otto Fischer School are building kindness one desk at a time

Nichole Pichardo March 10, 2021

#Kindness1Billion: Newhope Elementary student’s Make-A-Wish request is loud and clear

Ian Hanigan February 9, 2021

Vivian Nguyen could have asked for virtually anything. But the Newhope Elementary School fifth-grader used her wish to help others....

Pandemic or not, Pacifica High School’s Adopt-A-Child brings holiday cheer

Ian Hanigan December 23, 2020

Pacifica High School’s annual Adopt-A-Child event been a winter tradition for more than 30 years. And it wasn’t about to...

Foundation surprises local third-graders: ‘Everybody’s getting a bike!’

Ian Hanigan December 22, 2020

For the fifth straight year, the nonprofit Bikes for Kids Foundation paid a visit to a Tustin Unified elementary school...

Kindness follows on the heels of heartbreak for Inside the Outdoors manager and family

Ian Hanigan December 12, 2020

After losing their home to the devastating Bond Fire, the longtime caretaker of Inside the Outdoors’ Rancho Soñado site and...

Weekly roundup: Student author spreads a message of kindness and inclusivity, the latest OC districts to reopen, and more

Nichole Pichardo November 6, 2020

A Corona del Mar High School student is reminding the world that a little kindness goes a long way. After...

Teacher Maria Martinez and Isaac Rochell

Weekly roundup: NFL star surprises Santa Ana students, school reopenings, promoting tolerance, and more

Ian Hanigan September 25, 2020

A Los Angeles Charger dropped by Heroes Elementary School in Santa Ana with a special delivery this week. Isaac Rochell,...

balloons and a sign that reads, "1,000,000 meals served"

Santa Ana Unified has served more than 1 million student meals since closures

Ian Hanigan May 15, 2020

The Santa Ana Unified School District reached a milestone this week by serving its one millionth grab-and-go meal since closing...

Los Amigos Christi Montes and Christina Fenner

Los Amigos High staff collects $10,000 to help families through COVID-19 crisis

Ian Hanigan May 11, 2020

Staff members at Los Amigos High School in the Garden Grove Unified School District have collected $10,000 — most of...

Healthcare workers holding thank-you cards

#kindness1billion: Vista View Middle School students show their gratitude to healthcare workers

Ian Hanigan April 28, 2020

Students from Vista View Middle School in the Ocean View School District recently heard that healthcare workers at Memorial Care...

Saddleback Church teams up with OCDE to provide meals, groceries for OC families

Ian Hanigan April 13, 2020

April showers didn’t discourage the families who lined up in their cars to pick up boxes of food outside OCDE’s...

UCI Health CEO Chad T. Lefteris, GGUSD Board of Education Vice President Teri Rocco, and GGUSD School Nurse Department Chair Cheryl Gibbs

Garden Grove Unified donates N95 and surgical masks to UCI, CHOC

Ian Hanigan April 8, 2020

Officials from the Garden Grove Unified School District gave a big assist to hospital workers in their fight against COVID-19...

This website helps essential workers find open child care sites

Ian Hanigan April 2, 2020

Early Childhood OC is maintaining a list of open child care sites for essential workers during the COVID-19 crisis. The...

VIDEO: A quick trip to Starbucks leads to the ultimate act of kindness

Ian Hanigan March 5, 2020

Catherine Pearlman casually spotted the flier on a bulletin board inside a Starbucks. It was written by a woman who...

U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo inspires OC audience at 11th annual Creative Edge Lecture

Ian Hanigan March 4, 2020

Joy Harjo wasn’t always the nation’s official poet, or even a celebrated artist. Yet as a child she knew she...

Weekly roundup: Students support ill classmate by offering kindness to others, Tustin school offers auto training, and more

Fermin Leal February 28, 2020

An 8-year-old’s leukemia diagnosis spurred acts of kindness for other children undergoing cancer treatments. This Orange County Register article described...

#kindness1billion: Fullerton sixth-graders turn kindness into a weeklong assignment

Ian Hanigan February 6, 2020

The kind acts keep adding up in 2020. Nearly four years ago, OCDE launched its One Billion Acts of Kindness...

Tillys gives away backpacks, other merchandise to San Juan Hills High students

Fermin Leal February 5, 2020

Irvine-based Tillys recently stopped by San Juan Hills High School to give away 150 backpacks, coupons and other items to...

Weekly roundup: Girl Scout cookie box features Mission Viejo High student, esports participation promotes STEM, and more

Fermin Leal January 31, 2020

It’s Girl Scout cookie season across Orange County. If you purchase the popular Thin Mints box from a Scout, you’ll...

Students, community members honor MLK with Back Bay clean-up

Fermin Leal January 30, 2020

Students and staff from OCDE’s Inside the Outdoors environmental education program honored Martin Luther King Jr. Day by helping clean their...

Weekly roundup: State budget proposal adds funds for new teachers, OCDE steps up efforts to curb hate incidents, and more

Fermin Leal January 17, 2020

Gov. Gavin Newsom revealed a proposed budget for next fiscal year that anticipates nearly $4 billion more in revenue for...