The Holocaust Documentation and Education Center & Museum

AN ACT OF KINDNESS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Water lilies

You may have seen the movie Pay It Forward or read the book with the same title written by Catherine Ryan Hyde. It is about a teacher who starts a movement with a voluntary, extra credit assignment: Think of an idea for positive change and put it into action. A student, who is the hero of Pay It Forward, comes up with the idea to do something good for three people. When these people ask how they can pay back the kind deed or gesture, he tells them to Pay It Forward to three more people. This chain of passing along an act of kindness has a ripple effect and multiplies kindness, quickly affecting a large number of people in a short time.

Within our communities, there are so many things that each of us could do. We could get involved in helping the homeless or underprivileged, tackling the problems of youth violence, literacy issues, pollution, and at-risk youth, speaking out against the ethnic slurs and jokes as well as the hate music, appreciating and celebrating our ethnic, religious, and cultural differences, and the list goes on.

We ask you to look beyond yourself and make a difference in someone's life. Sometimes, it is just as easy as smiling at someone who is feeling sad or including an individual who is alone. Even a simple act of kindness can make a tremendous difference and, in turn, can positively affect others.

We have asked students to share their experience with us and how it changed someone's life. We have awarded the top two student entries with a $100 United States Savings Bond and each of the winners will have their names inscribed on our wall of "Students Making a Difference." The winners will also share their entries at our Annual Meeting in June.

All grades K-12

Please include your name, grade, school, school address, teacher, phone number and e-mail address, if you have one.
The deadline for entries is April 15, 2011. Winners will be announced May, 2, 2011.

Please submit your entry to us at:

Student Act of Kindness
c/o Merle R. Saferstein
Holocaust Documentation and Education Center, Inc.
2031 Harrison Street
Hollywood, FL 33020

Entries can also be e-mailed to merle@hdec.org

An Act of Kindness Can Make a Difference 2010 Contest Winners

Jessica Allen, Grade 12
Coral Springs High School
Broward

Hilary Levin, Grade 8
Odyssey Middle School
Palm Beach

Wall of Students Making a Difference

2009
Christina Vala Addison, Mizner Elementary School, 5th grade
Dylan Tellam, Palmetto Middle School, Grade 6

2008
William Scheinman, 10th grade, Hillel Community Day School
Amanda Topanes, 4th grade, Good Shepherd Catholic School

2007
Cassie Scheinman, 10th grade, Hillel Community Day School