AN ACT OF KINDNESS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

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.

An Act of Kindness Can Make a Difference
2011 Contest Winners
Click on the winner's name to read their entry

High School Division
Shanon Morin, Grade 12
Hallandale High School
Broward

Middle School Division
Ralph Usatorres, Grade 8
St. Kevin Catholic School
Miami-Dade

Elementary School Division
Victoria Crespin, Grade 3
St. Kevin Catholic School
Miami-Dade