Melrosians Prepare for 10th Annual Kindness Day on November 20th
By Ellen Putnam
Melrose Kind Co-Chairs Stephanie Nelson, left, and Kelly Hourigan in front of the Kindness Mural painted by Kris Rodolico and Chiara Pieri of Follow Your Art Community Studios last year
Photo from Melrose Kind
Next Thursday, Melrose will celebrate a decade of Kindness Day! In the 10 years since it began, November 20th has quickly become many residents’ favorite day of the year, as people across the city shower one another in kindness of all sorts.
Kindness Day originated as a response to unkindness. In 2015, a group of Melrose middle school students, emulating characters on the television show South Park, declared that November 20th was “kick a ginger day,” which brought negative attention to Melrose. The following year, Maribeth Darwin, co-founder of Melrose Kind, decided to take back November 20th and focus on kindness instead.
That first Kindness Day was launched with a single Facebook post; today, hundreds of Melrose residents across the city are preparing to shower others with kindness on November 20th.
Although Darwin stepped down from leading Melrose Kind last year, co-founder Stephanie Nelson and co-chair Kelly Hourigan took over Melrose Kind’s monthly Kindness Porch collections and the planning for Kindness Day.
Melrose Kind is a resource for Melrosians looking to find a way to participate in Kindness Day, but, Nelson emphasized, there are no requirements for participation, and all acts of kindness, however big or small, are welcome. “We’re here to help facilitate,” Nelson said, “but you don’t need to check in with us. If you just want to do your own thing, that’s awesome too.”
Treats and cards for staff and patients at MelroseWakefield Hospital on last year's Kindness Day
Photo From Melrose Kind
Some Melrosians may want to shower a community organization or department with kindness - the Melrose Police Department or Department of Public Works, for example, or workers at MelroseWakefield Hospital or the YMCA - and Melrose Kind is ready to help coordinate.
Others may choose to do something as simple as holding open a door, buying a stranger coffee, or baking cookies for a neighbor.
Some kind actions can have a lasting impact, beyond what the giver might imagine. For the past several years, students in the elementary schools have written letters to senior citizens. Nelson said that the residential directors of the senior living communities have told her that sometimes they see those letters on residents’ fridges for months afterward. High school students have written letters to teachers who have had an impact on them, sometimes reaching back to early elementary school.
And middle school students have sent notes to patients at MelroseWakefield Hospital, sometimes giving them the strength they need to recover. Nelson tells one story from several years ago, of a woman who was battling cancer and had just told her partner, “I can’t do it anymore.” A volunteer came in with a flower and an encouraging note, and the woman burst into tears, saying, “It’s a sign.”
Samantha Chaney, a reporter for WBZ/CBS News Boston came to report on Kindness Day last year
Photo From Melrose Kind
This year, more local schools have joined in - St Mary’s School, Melrose Daycare, and Northeast Metrotech will all be writing letters and spreading kindness through their students.
And while last year, Nelson and Hourigan did most of the organization themselves, this year five additional members - Marleen Callahan, Jodi Dwer, Elaine Foley and Christine and Paige Rocha - have joined their team.
“I’m so proud that we are now a team of seven,” said Nelson. “We’re able to support more nonprofit partners, help amplify their work, and do more each year because of them, and we are so grateful!”
And the pop-up box on Main Street in front of the YMCA will have some Kindness Day-related goodies for sale!
If you want ideas of how to celebrate Kindness Day, email melrosekind@gmail.com - or just go out on November 20th and do something kind for someone else! And make sure to follow Melrose Kind on Facebook to see all the good happening next week - and share the kindness that you witness!