Project Challenges Central Bucks Kids To Design Kindness Graphic

DOYLESTOWN, PA —“What does kindness mean to you?” That is the question that Bucks County Kind and the owners of Monkey’s Uncle are asking K-6 students in the Central Bucks School District to answer through an art contest.

The idea came from the minds and hearts of store owners Jeanell and Derrick Morgan, as they suggested a team effort to make mugs, t-shirts, and stickers using a special design created by a local child.

What people may not know about this family-owned business is that they have a component called ‘Monkey on a Mission’ that “provides mentorship and job skills to special needs students of all abilities.” One of those skills is graphic design.

When they approached "Bucks County Kind" administrators Joanne Petrun, Tom Brunt, and Edie Weinstein with their brainstorm, “We immediately loved it and the wheels started spinning around in how we could make this a reality. Since the mission of Bucks County Kind is to spread kindness through the community, and by extension, the world, what better place to begin than with children? Together, kind children and kind adults make a positive difference.”

Development of the art work can be part of a classroom project or something families do together around the kitchen table.

"Imagine the conversations it could spark around the concept of kindness," said the organizers. "In a time in which discord and division seem to prevail, the organizers of this contest see it as one antidote and cause ripples of positivity to flow."

Here are the details:

• Students can submit their original designs immediately to buckscountykind@gmail.com
• The team will review the artwork and choose the top five.
• Deadline for submission is September 25.
• The final images will be placed on the Bucks County Kind Facebook page as voting begins on September 27 and runs through October 4.
• The winning entry will be announced on October 5.
• Pre-order for the t-shirts, mugs and stickers will begin that day as well.

Proceeds from sales will be donated to the Coalition to Shelter and Support the Homeless (CSSH), the Central Bucks charity that operates the Code Blue homeless shelters in the winter and offers outreach services to neighbors in need year-round.

"We want to thank Jennifer Eckfield for the design of the cool flier," said the organizers, who are encouraging youngsters throughout the Central Bucks School District to "get your pens, crayons, markers, paints, and imagination ready. Remember that kindness counts."