Communitywide kindness week set for Feb. 13-19

by Judy Stringer

Barbara Bos says there’s something special about a random act of kindness.

Sure, buying a stranger’s cup of coffee, taking time to thank a teacher or clearing a neighbor’s walkway can make their day, but the giver gets just as much – if not more – out of the experience, according to Bos.

“Being kind to others makes you happier,” she said, “and often kindness has this way of being returned to you.”

Bos is president of the Hudson League for Service, which will once again encourage residents and businesses to spread joy and compassion during the communitywide Random Acts of Kindness week this month.

RAK week begins on Sunday, Feb. 13 and continues through Saturday, Feb. 19. This year’s theme is “Make Kindness the Norm.” Each day, however, brings with it a unique focus and sometimes suggestions on how to participate in wonderfully arbitrary acts of kindness. Monday, for example is “Hey Neighbor” with suggestions like “share a book, do an errand or give flowers to a neighbor.” “Be a Friend” Friday advocates for “spending time with someone who may be lonely.” Thursday is the official Random Acts of Kindness Day.

February will mark Hudson’s 28th year of celebrating Random Acts of Kindness. Bos said longtime resident and former city council member Marty Hills launched the city’s first kindness campaign in 1994, following a chance encounter at her brother’s grave in the American Military Cemetery in Belgium. A local woman there promised Hills she’d visit the fallen soldier’s grave and pray for him monthly. Hills was so moved by the extraordinary generosity of this stranger, she started organizing Random Acts of Kindness events in Hudson that aligned with an emerging national program, randomactsofkindness.org.

In 2015, Hills turned the program over to HLFS, which has taken RAK viral, using social media and hash tags to elicit and celebrate community participation. Bos said 2021 plans had to be altered due to the pandemic and the need to limit in-person RAK activities and events. While the specifics of 2022 are still being hashed out, she expects it to mirror 2021, advocating for COVID-safe ways of being kind to others.

The giving bug

A book collection is one of two community RAK activities confirmed as of press time. A group of Hudson High School students, who call themselves the “Page Turners,” will host the donation “drive-by.”

Page Turners originated out of the trio’s “newfound time” during the 2020 lockdown, according to member Jeremy Lavoie, and held its first book drive that fall, collecting thousands of books for the Cleveland nonprofit Literacy in the H.O.O.D (Helping Out Our Disenfranchised).

RAK week in 2021 provided an opportunity to build on Page Turner’s initial success, which Lavoie hopes to continue with this month’s book drive on Saturday, Feb. 19, 10 a.m.-noon, at the John Grell pavilion at Barlow Park. 

“Over the last year and a half, we have collected over 20,000 books,” Lavoie said. “We never expected to get such a phenomenal response. This abundance of books has allowed us to donate to many organizations, including literacy programs in Cleveland, senior citizen homes, prison libraries, and several children’s organizations and schools in Akron.”

Bos said Valentine mailboxes placed at each of the elementary schools are another aspect of the 2022 festivities. Students in those buildings will create special RAK Valentines to take home to family and friends or to deposit in the box for distribution to “those who work hard to make Hudson a great community,” she said, such as city workers, local volunteers and first responders. 

Outside of the official activities, Bos encourages residents to be creative and find ways to participate on their own.

“You can reach out to a loved one just to let them know you are thinking about them, or leave a positive online review of a local restaurant or shop after a good experience, or send a thank-you to a colleague,” she suggested.

And, although RAK week finds its home in the most loving of months, February, Bos hopes Hudsonites will catch the year-round kind of kindness bug. 

“RAK shouldn’t be just one day or one week,” she said. “It should be something we strive for every day.” ∞