Fountaindale Public Library District: Kindness Day 2021

Press release from Fountaindale Public Library District:

Melissa

May 3, 2021

We’re proud to support Bolingbrook Kindness Day on Saturday, May 15, with these activities for your entire family to share and celebrate acts of kindness. Spreading kindness can have a positive impact on a person’s life and inspire others, especially our youth, to be kind to each other.

WHAT IS KINDNESS DAY?

Bolingbrook Kindness Day started in May 2018 to recognize the overwhelming kindness Samantha “Sammy” Yelenosky—a resident of Bolingbrook and a then student at Pioneer Elementary School—received from her school and community after facing tremendous health challenges. Sammy’s parents wanted to share their gratitude for all the kindness she received and express how simple acts of kindness were critical to their daughter’s recovery.

In 2019, we joined with other local organizations and businesses to help expand the initiative to the entire Bolingbrook community. We’re excited to once again be part of the Kindness Day efforts in our community!

Watch Sammy’s video below to learn about her inspiring story.

Kindness Day Book Project

We recently asked Bolingbrook students in grades K through 12 to share their stories of kindness so that we can create a Kindness Day book of stories to publish. We are assembling your work into an eBook to share with the entire community. The book will debut on Saturday, May 15. Additionally, we plan to curate a select number of student entries into a print book to be distributed through our physical local author collection and other promotions.

Prizes:

All participants will be entered into a random drawing to win one of the following donated prizes:

• An autographed copy of Be Kind by Naomi Shulman (10 available)
• A copy of Channel Kindness: Stories of Kindness and Community by Lady Gaga (5 available)
• A one-on-one session with publisher and author Jacqueline Camacho-Ruiz to help guide you through the publishing process and answer any questions you have about publishing your own book (1 available)

Kindness Day Events

Join us on Saturday, May 15 for a variety of events to celebrate and spread kindness!

Kindness Day BINGO
Download and print a BINGO card below. Do kind deeds to mark off spaces. Bring in your card on Saturday, May 15 with at least one row, column or diagonal completed to earn a small prize.

Download Kindness Day BINGO Card

Kindness Around the World
Tune in to our YouTube channel to learn how to say kind phrases in different languages.

Kindness Day Stories
Watch our Kindness Day Ambassadors read excerpts from our Kindness Day eBook on YouTube.

Kindness Day Bags
9 a.m.–while supplies last
Pick up a Kindness Day drawstring bag at the Children’s Services Desk, Circulation Desk, Drive-thru or Bookmobile, while supplies last. Bags include Take-It Make-It crafts, activities and gifts from Kindness Day sponsors. Show your bag at Taco Dále (1196 W. Boughton Road) to receive a free paleta (popsicle) or scoop of ice cream.

Record Your Kindness Story
9:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Visit Children’s Services to record a kindness story on camera, which will be featured in a future YouTube video. Drop in; no registration required.

Outdoor Mini Movin’ & Groovin’
10:30–11 a.m.
Ages 8 months–5 years
Get your little ones movin’ and groovin’ to music, rhythms, songs and more! This program will take place outside, weather permitting. Registration required; visit the Children’s Services Desk or call 630.685.4181 to register.

This press release was produced by Fountaindale Public Library District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.