An Act of Kindness Can Make a Difference

The theme of today's Students Awareness Day has been "Stand up, speak out, and make a difference." We have discussed ways in which each of us 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.  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 want you to Pay It Forward--to set the example and help someone out and get that person to help someone else out.  Accept the responsibility for making our world a better place in which to live.  

In one of last year's Student Awareness Day evaluation forms, in response to the question of what the students would like to see in the next year's program, Catherine Osias, a 10th grade student from Stranahan High School, made an excellent suggestion.  She wrote that she would like to hear or read about what someone did to help the world after attending a Student Awareness Day.  As a result of that wonderful suggestion, we are asking you to share your experience with us and how it changed someone's life.  We will award the top ten 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 and at future Student Awareness Days.

Please submit your entry to us at:

Student Act of Kindness

C/o Holocaust Documentation and Education Center, Inc.

2031 Harrison Street

Hollywood, FL 33020

Please include your name, grade, school, school address, home address, phone number and email address.

We look forward to hearing from you and thank you in advance for joining in our efforts to make a difference in the lives of others.