Passing Kindness On, One Act at a Time
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WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO - 2008
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Happy New Year!
Our search to bring the Kindness Gift Giving Program to children who had not received much over the holidays brought us to the Giving Tree Homeless Feeding Program on January 20. Thanks to the successful holiday toy collections, our kindness gift packages included popular toys, and we had many great "free raffle" items as well. Books were so popular that we gave out 300 of them! Along with the kindness gift packages, books, backpacks, snacks and other miscellaneous items, new pairs of quality roller skates that had been donated were offered to any of the children who fit the sizes we had. The children who came to eat dinner that day left there loaded up with many goodies!
There were many smiles from the Iraqi refugee children who were the recipients of our Kindness Gift Giving Program when they attended a support group with their families at the International Rescue Committee on January 25. We were fortunate to have a TSKP volunteer who spoke Arabic come and translate for us. Although it was obvious they had all experienced many traumas in their lives, the Iraqi people showed great compassion as they listened to the talk about Shyann, acceptance, and the passing on of kindness. Afterwards, the children were eager to share their ideas of how to be kind to others. All of the volunteers were very touched when an older man expressed his condolences about Shyann and appreciation for what we were doing for the children. As the families left, they assured us they would be using the kindness cards to pass on kindness to others.
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| Waiting For Their Turn |
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| Sharing His Kindness Idea |
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| Choosing Their Gift Pkgs. |
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On February 2, we joined the 4th birthday celebration of the Peace Garden at Manuel Herrera Park. Children who had attended and helped out at our last event there were already waiting for us, wearing the volunteer badges they received last time and ready to help once again. Having had difficult experiences in her life, there were tears in the eyes of a teenage girl as she listened to the talk about kindness and acceptance, and loving everyone for who they are. It was nice to see her smile after choosing a kindness gift package that included a much-needed sweatshirt, as well as when she found a new pair of roller skates that fit.
On February 25, students from the Y.E.S. and Skills for Success after school programs at Laguna Elementary School were full of ideas about passing on kindness. Even though the Kindergarten thru Second graders anxiously eyed everything they would be receiving, they were even more anxious to share their kindness ideas! As one of our volunteers was talking to a group of children, a young girl came up to him and said, "Thank you. I'm happy with everything I got. I don't have a lot of stuff." It touched all our volunteers to hear many of these needy children tell us they were choosing something for one of their siblings who weren't there rather than for themselves. There were many thank yous and hugs from individual children, and before they all left, a loud "thank you" was heard from the group.
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| Celebrating at the Peace Garden |
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| Laguna Elementary Group |
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| Checking Out the Kindness Card |
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Members of the Student Council at Prince Elementary School were the recipients of our Kindness Gift Giving Program on March 6. During the talk about ways to pass on kindness, one of the students told of how she had performed an act of kindness just that day by coming to the aid of a student who was being picked on by another girl. It was heartwarming to see a boy receive a new backpack to replace the one he was currently using which had thin ropes instead of shoulder straps, and the smile that never left the face of a girl who continued to show off the beautiful porcelain doll in the gift package she chose.
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| Prince Student Council with TSKP Volunteers |
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It was a busy day at Children's Clinics for Rehabilitative Services on March 26. TSKP volunteers took shifts from 8:00 a.m. until the last patient was seen in the late afternoon. The children came in before or after their appointment and were able to choose toys and other items that best fit their abilities. The spirit and joy of the children who are dealing with so many challenges due to their special needs was once again inspiring to our volunteers. Many of the parents were happy to hear about the Shyann's Mentors Program of support.
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| Smiles at CCRS |
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| And More Smiles |
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We brought our Kindness Gift Giving Program to Keeling Elementary on April 9, where the 113 children who attended had many ideas of how to pass on kindness! We could tell the message of kindness was taken to heart as many ideas were put into action that afternoon. There was great excitement when the "free raffle" drawings started with a new bike and helmet. As the boy who won the bike wheeled it over to his teacher, he told her he was going to give it to his brother because "he wants a bike and doesn't have one." Another boy stopped to tell a volunteer how he was helping to carry a bag for someone else because they needed help carrying everything. As they left, many of the children were heard to say they couldn't wait to get home so they could share everything they had received with their brothers and sisters.
On April 19, The Shyann Kindness Project once again joined in the Family Day festivities at TROT (Therapeutic Riding of Tucson). A week later, a request came in for 30 kindness cards from a mom whose daughter attends TROT and had received a kindness gift package at Family Day. The kindness cards were put into lunch bags that had been made up for her son's kindergarten class for their field trip to the zoo. We heard back that the kindness cards and the idea of passing on kindness was a great success with the class!
In celebration of "El Día de los Niños" or "Children's Day," The Shyann Kindness Project went to El Rio's Southwest Health Clinic on April 30. The children were happily surprised to find us there! Many of the children who came in crying or unhappy (especially those who had just received their shots) left the room with smiles on their faces and bags of goodies. The parents were happy to see that we had toothbrushes for the children as we handed out the candy and snacks! The bi-lingual and Spanish books we provided were also a big hit.
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| Busy Day at Keeling! |
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| Fun Day at TROT! |
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| Reading TSKP Brochure at El Rio |
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We brought our Kindness Gift Giving Program to the students in the ETC (Empowering, Teaching & Connecting) and ACHIEVE Mentoring Programs at La Cima Middle School on May 6. We were told by one of the staff of the impact our program had on a student who is currently in the midst of a CPS investigation. "For the past couple of months, she has been very tense, agitated and tearful. During SKP, she was the most relaxed I've seen her in months. She was smiling and clearly enjoying the opportunity to be a kid." That's what The Shyann Kindness Project is all about!!
Our volunteers enjoyed bringing the Kindness Gift Giving Program to the children in the Oncology Clinic, Bone Marrow Transplant Unit and Inpatient Pediatric Floor at University Medical Center on May 23. One of our volunteers was able to give encouragement to the families as he shared with them that he is a 15-year survivor of a bone marrow transplant. A boy who had shown no interest in picking out a gift package sat up in bed and smiled as he saw the choices our volunteer brought into the room for him. One of the teenage girls who was going home that day was happy to help pick out some gift packages to leave behind for future pediatric patients.
The Shyann Kindness Project once again partnered with Tucson Starbucks when we brought our Kindness Gift Giving Program to St. Andrew's Clinica for Children with Special Needs on June 5. In addition to the coffee and iced tea provided by Starbucks, volunteers from TSKP and Starbucks also provided home backed goods and soda. One of the children in a wheelchair seemed to really enjoy her treat as she got chocolate all over her face and hands while her mom had her back turned picking out toys! Beautiful handmade quilts and pillows donated by the Oasis Church Quilting Ladies were a big hit with the children in wheelchairs, with "Bob the Builder" being a favorite of one of the boys. Volunteers also entertained and delighted the children with face painting, bubbles, silly string and water fights!
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| Smiles at La Cima Middle School |
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| Kindness Gift Package Brought a Smile |
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| Loving her new quilt! |
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We were very welcomed by the children attending the YES summer program at Centennial Elementary School on June 18. The children listened intently to the talk about kindness and acceptance. The father of two boys told a staff member that the presentation had a very positive impact on the boys, with random acts of kindness visible between the two boys as they helped their mother around the house and were being nice to one another. The school received a call from the mother of an autistic girl to find out what had taken place after her daughter came home very happy and excited, but unable to communicate about the day. Another girl went home and excitedly called her relatives to tell them all about her special day!
The children at New Beginnings were very welcoming as they offered to help unload our cars when we arrived there on July 3. The many bags of clothing we brought with us were a big hit, as most of the women and children arrive at this shelter with not much more than the clothes they are wearing. In addition to the books, kindness gift packages of toys, backpacks and other items we had for them, the "free raffle" prizes brought big smiles to the faces of the children. One boy in particular was very excited to win the Hannah Montana clock so he could pass on kindness by giving it to his sister.
On July 19, we partnered with Handi-Dogs to host a "Spread A Little Kindness" Pizza Party for the women and children from EMERGE! Center for Domestic Abuse. The children also received a special visit from three Gabriel's Angels dogs. A mother of four was very grateful for everything we gave her children, most especially the backpacks, school supplies and clothing. As a single mom, she told us how difficult it was for her to provide for all her children. Our face painters were kept busy and the children were very happy with the toys, books and everything else they received!
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| Big Smiles at Centennial Elementary |
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| Getting Help With The Raffles |
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| Happy Painted Faces! |
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Backpack night at Manuel Herrera Jr. Park on August 5 was rained on, but not rained out! Thanks to our partnership with Starbucks, the children were happy to receive their new backpacks stuffed with school supplies. One little girl warmed the hearts of our volunteers as she became extremely excited after picking out a Disney princess backpack! Volunteer haircutters were kept busy and face painters added to the fun. The rains came down as the numbers were being called for the "free raffle" prizes, but fortunately nothing was ruined and the children didn't seem to mind as they anxiously waited for their number to be called.
We visited another El Rio Health Clinic site on August 19 to give out backpacks and school supplies to the children who still needed them for the new school year. Children that came out of their appointments crying or looking sad soon had smiles on their faces as they chose the toys, books, snacks and other items we offered. When possible, the children were entertained with bubbles by TSKP volunteers as they waited for their appointments.
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| Ready for School! |
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| Twins at El Rio |
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There were many smiles on the faces of children with cancer and their siblings when they received the kindness gift packages and books at a University Medical Center picnic on September 14. One of the younger girls had her hopes set on winning the raffle prize of a large makeup kit, and was very excited when her number was called! It was a fun day for all!!
We made another visit to the Children's Emergency Center at Tucson Medical Center on September 20. Days later we received a thank you note from a mom who had taken her son to the Emergency Center twice in two days. She commented how the toy he received and played with meant a great deal to her son who was frightened and ill, and was also a great stress reducer for both of them. One of the young volunteers who helped out that day understood what the gift packages meant to the children, as she first found out about TSKP when she had been the recipient of a kindness gift package at TMC on Christmas Day 2006!
The children of the Rio Vista Elementary ACHIEVE Mentor Program were the recipients of our Kindness Gift Giving Program on October 1. As one boy chose his kindness gift package, another boy commented, "Oh, I wanted that one." The boy handed him the package and said, "After all, it's for Shyann and it's about kindness." The winner of a guitar raffle prize told one of our volunteers that he was going to hide it for two months and surprise his little brother with the guitar for this birthday. It's always heartwarming for our volunteers to see kindness put into action during one of our events!
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| Having a fun time at the picnic |
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| Something to play with while waiting |
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| Hard to choose a video! |
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The students at Desert Winds Elementary School's LEAP Program were full of ideas of how to pass on kindness as we brought our program there on November 7. Once again kindness was passed on during an event, as the winner of a microscope raffle prize gave it to another girl who thought she had won, but didn't have the winning number. When one of our young volunteers was asked what her favorite part of volunteering was, she replied, "seeing the smiles on the kid's faces."
For the third year, our Kindness Gift Giving Program brightened the lives of the children who attended the Salvation Army Thanksgiving Meal Program on November 27. One mom told us how her little girl had not been happy all day. That changed as soon as she came to our tables!! When asked if he needed any school supplies, the reply of "I sure do" from one of the boys made us glad we had them to offer. We were all thankful the rain held off for the time we were there!
In partnership with Starbucks and the Flowing Wells School District, The Shyann Kindness Project hosted a "Spread A Little Kindness" Christmas party for 200 needy children on December 19 at Flowing Wells Junior High School. The families enjoyed pizza, desserts, holiday music, magic shows, hula dancing, face painting, craft activities, visits with dogs from Gabriel's Angels, storytelling and pictures with Santa! Along with their "extra special" kindness gift packages, the children also received books, school supplies, videos, clothing, toiletry packages and other miscellaneous items. The "free raffle" items offered included two new bikes, an MP3 player, cd player, table top game centers, store gift cards, and a football autographed by Deion Sanders!
Volunteers at the Christmas party were very touched as many of the children told them they were choosing toy packages or raffle prizes to give as gifts to others. Some of the children didn't want to open their package right away, instead wanting to put it under the tree so they would have something to open on Christmas Day. After deciding to do just that, one of the girls asked her mom if they were even going to have a tree.
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| The Perfect Raffle Prize! |
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| Happy With His Choice! |
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| Happy Raffle Winners! |
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Our Christmas Eve tradition at Tucson Medical Center continued as volunteers took shifts from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. and gave out kindness gift packages, books and snacks to all the children who came into the emergency room. Smiles overcame the faces of the children that had come in looking worried and scared as they got to pick out their kindness gift packages and books. One of our volunteers was told by a foster mom that had it not been for TSKP being there on Christmas Eve, her child would not have gotten anything for Christmas.
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| Smiling Faces at TMC |
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