The Dean of Students Office and Counseling Services Center are sponsoring various activities for Random Acts of Kindness Week, hosted by student Peer Health Educators in Marano Campus Center. 

The week-long event kicked off on Monday, which was national Random Acts of Kindness Day. Students were able to send out letters and thank you cards to friends and family, postage being covered by the Dean of Students Office. The Counseling Services Center also offered crafts, such as making bracelets and origami.                                     

According to Health Promotion Coordinator Shelly Sloan, it was the Peer Health Educators who decided to extend Random Acts of Kindness from one day to a week. 

“I kind of gave them free rein of what they wanted to do, and they brainstormed some ideas in training,” Sloan said. “This is all put together by our Peer Health Educators, they’ve organized, reserved the tables and have determined what supplies we need. They’ve given me a shopping list and I’ve secured those things, but the rest of it has come from the students, so I’m really proud of them.”

The Peer Health Educators felt like one day was not enough for random acts of kindness, so they decided to plan activities for every day this week. The planning of the activities required a lot of teamwork, according to Peer Health Educator Nikki Powers. 

“Honestly, all of us are really creative, and there’s eight or nine of us, so we just thought of things that we would like, or that we definitely knew would attract some people,” Powers said.

On Tuesday, the Peer Health Educators set up a kindness tree for students to leave positive notes on. On Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., “bee” kind shirts will be given away for free, and on Thursday a bake sale will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., where students can get free baked goods and have the option of making a donation to SHOP, our on-campus food pantry.

The event concludes on Friday with “Big Ol’ Bear Hugs,” where students can hug a large teddy bear and enter to win it in a raffle from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Counseling Services Center will also be offering crafts on Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Powers said that she likes Random Acts of Kindness Week because it reminds students to be kind to others despite their busy lives.

“I feel like in college, we get really wrapped up in our own lives and like discovering ourselves, since we’re all young adults,” Powers said. “I feel like it’s really difficult to show random acts of kindness when you’re so wrapped up in yourself, so I like that we dedicate a week, just to get you out of yourself and realize that other people need kindness too.”

For those who are not able to attend the events this week, Sloan has other tips on how to spread kindness on campus. 

“Kindness is free. It doesn’t cost anything to be kind,” Sloan said. “So, holding a door open for someone, complimenting someone, leaving someone who is or was a positive influence on you a thank you note or a letter, it doesn’t have to cost anything.”

The Dean of Students Office and Peer Health Educators have done numerous kindness initiatives on campus, including free carnations for Valentine’s Day, activities for World Kindness Day, and the 12 Days of Kindness social media campaign. Sloan believes that showing kindness to others can be very impactful.

“It’s just a way to brighten someone’s day, make their day special, and make them smile,” Sloan said. “I think that’s really what we’re looking for.”

Photo by Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian