Photo by Emily Rogers.
The Lacombe and District Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) and local dignitaries kicked off the annual Kindness Campaign today (Feb. 3) with an official ribbon cutting ceremony at the Lacombe Memorial Centre.
The community-wide campaign is designed to build relationships and foster a sense of community while bringing residents together to celebrate acts of kindness.
Throughout February, local businesses are invited to decorate their space with pink items from Kindness Kits, some businesses also sell a special pink item with the proceeds going to support FCSS programs.
“It brings me a great deal of pride to have so many wonderful people in our community who value the whole idea behind the Kindness Campaign,” said Mayor Grant Creasey. “It’s truly a special day.”
Over 80 Kindness Kits have been claimed and used to decorate local businesses and organizations.
“That's a real testament to our community and the great people in it who really care for their citizens and go above and beyond, and just really have that mindset of taking care of each other,” said Crystal Zens, Executive Director of the Lacombe FCSS.
The Kindness Campaign began during the pandemic, as a way to spread kindness, empathy, and positivity to create a community that benefits everyone.
“The community has embraced it ever since, it’s just getting bigger and better each and every year with more and more businesses,” Creasey said. “We couldn’t be happier.”
Businesses and organizations can still get involved with the campaign by contacting the Lacombe FCSS to pick up a Kindness Kit.
“They just adopt it for the month and make it their own,” Zens said.
This year, the Lacombe FCSS taught the program at a provincial conference, and now other agencies have adopted the campaign into their own communities.
“It's really cool to see the ripple effect across the province,” Zens said.
The Kindness Campaign is in conjunction with Pink Shirt Day (Feb. 26), a national anti-bullying initiative.
For Pink Shirt Day, BGC Wolf Creek – Ponoka is selling t-shirts that were designed by local students.
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