Get Ready: Acts of Kindness Day in Chappaqua is Oct. 23

CHAPPAQUA, NY — Chappaqua will try something new on Oct. 23. It's a designated day for AOK.

You may have already noticed positive quotes displayed on lawn signs throughout the community. If not, look for them. They are examples for how something as simple as sharing a kind message can bring about positive feelings within someone.

For Oct. 23, piles of post cards bearing the same kinds of messages will be disseminated throughout stores, restaurants, town hall, etc. Pick up as many as you like. Perform a kind act for someone, then leave the card if you choose.

"Kindness can have a ripple effect. With your help, we can all benefit from a kind act!" said Evy Rosen, creator and organizer of the event and the Council of Kindness formed from all the friends who helped her brainstorm. "Pay it Forward or Acts of Kindness Days have been promoted in cities throughout the world. I wanted this day to be unique in format and name, hence the acronym AOK. I hope the event spreads to neighboring towns and becomes AOK Pleasantville, or AOK Briarcliff, for example. That would be nice, but today my focus is with my hometown, Chappaqua."

Evidence based studies show that acts of kindness reduce stress, promote positivity, and improve overall health for the giver, receiver, and observer, Rosen said. Kindness enhances feelings of joyfulness, and boosts one’s sense of happiness, optimism, and self-worth. Pro-social activities like acts of kindness can create a sense of community and social connection, inspire belonging and bridge the emotional distance between people.

"Kindness and politeness make people smile, and those acts are self-perpetuating. In fact, positive feelings from one act of kindness often lasts for a few hours after the act is committed, and happy people are more likely to perform additional acts of kindness," she said. "Smiling itself has a positive effect on our happiness and physical health, helping the heart recover more quickly after a stressful event. When we’re kind, we show someone that they mean something. It’s as if we’re saying 'your life matters.'"

Here are some examples from the AOK Chappaqua Facebook page.

The Council of Kindness encourages people to comment and post their experiences on the page.

Let's not be spectators. Instead, participate in AOK Day," said New Castle Town Supervisor Rob Greenstein. "As a community, we can do our part to make our world a better place."

Image/ Council for Kindness