Kindness Starts With One®

Both of my children receive regular care from University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. It is about 7 hours away from us in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They have been patients of Dr. Steve Kasten and the craniofacial team since birth due to cleft lip and palate. This year, my son's fifth grade class read the book Wonder, which is...

Hi! I would like to tell you about my ‘one’, Jaymie Lute. I have known Jaymie for almost 11 years. She is the most thoughtful, kind, and generous person I have ever met, and simply radiates positivity. She is always doing for others, never asking for anything in return. My son, Hunter, is Autistic. There are many times that I feel...

Here is the link to an article that I wrote about 'the ones ': https://m.facebook.com/CambodiansNOW/photos/a.177039816016149.1073741827.124025737984224/487526774967450/?type=3&source=54&ref=page_internal

My ONE is such an amazing man! He is kind and patient. He is loyal and compassionate. It's hard to express how wonderful Steve is and how grateful I am to have met him. He's supported me in so many ways for over 15 years and he encourages me to follow my dreams. I am a better teacher and human...

Fran did something for both Jess and me that I will never forget. In 2008, we climbed Kilimanjaro as part of a charity challenge. Jess and I had low spirits on summit night as we hadn't spoken to our families for almost 10 days. The night was a big one on our journey; it's not a walk in the park...

When I first met Marcus, a street man I saw everyday going to work, I did not make eye contact nor give him money. Slowly, I felt a change in my heart and started talking to him, learning about why he was there. The story was not what I expected. Because of Marcus, I started looking up instead of down when...

I was at the gym on a treadmill that looks out onto the street and there was a woman's car on the side of the road with a flat. After running 1 mile nobody bothered to check on her (Monica) so I got off my treadmill and asked if I could help. She told me she had a tow truck...

Karen Lewis was my son's first grade teacher. She always put her students first and challenged them each day to be better. She gave her heart and shared her experiences with her students. I was proud to have been her room parent and saw how much she cared for her students. Although she was tough at times, it was because...

My mom is my ONE! My mom is the kindest person I know! She is truly an angel here on Earth. Kindness and Diane are one in the same. Mom always taught us to think of others and to be kind to everyone. She showed us the importance of treating others the way we want to be treated by being...

My husband is The ONE! He always encourages & inspires me to be better every day by just being himself. Together we have faced a magnitude of challenges and conquered each one by supporting and encouraging each other. Love brought us together, but our search for the common good, and the appreciation & gratitude we have for each other keep...

The person I am proud to nominate is my friend and assistant teacher, Lynne Rentschler. Lynne is the epitome of kindness. She sees the good in everyone and is always putting others ahead of herself. She is well known in her neighborhood as the “go to” person whenever somebody needs help. Although she is a senior herself, she is out there mowing the grass...

Harold Scott, or Scottie as many of us know him, is a one-of-a-kind person. He often thinks of how he can help others. He is always upbeat, has a sunny disposition with a killer smile, and a caring kind nature. Scottie lives in Lebanon, Tennessee, just east of Nashville, but grew up in a tiny, rural county about 65 miles further to the...

The person that has inspired me the most would be my cousin, Stephen Sines, and his wife, Tammy. This couple consistently tries to find ways to show their kindness and lightens up every life they come across. One day, out of the blue, they sent my wife and I a hand-made blanket and a hand-written letter. The letter said simply, "Pay...

The one person in my entire life who has always had my back, my son! He's grown now with his own son and I couldn't be happier with the man he's become. As a kid, he was my buddy - we played games, went to movies, vacations, watched tv, all together, the best of times. As a teen, I got...

The person who inspired me to look for the good in everyone was Ivan Duran. He was my principal. I already had a tendency to see the good, but Ivan really cemented the idea. We worked in a high needs school and he encouraged the teachers to find at least one positive about every student every day.

Only two years after building our first house together, my husband and I embarked on our first major relocation of our lives that would take us further away from friends and family that we loved and the house we had just built. Moving to the Midwest was a big change for these New Yorkers, and while I was excited to be...

My "one" is my best friend, she's always been there for me and i always see her going around and spreading joy. Before a show she goes up to people holds their hands and says how amazing they will be and how beautiful/handsome they are.

Bobby was the neighborhood welcome wagon. She was never without a smile, spending her time volunteering at Crisis Control and my school. She took meals she prepared to families in need. At the age of three, I went with her to a fallout shelter to give food to a man who had become a recluse. She stood up for those at...

My "One" is Christine, a former student of mine. When I had breast cancer she was my cheerleader, my rally flag, and my heart. To show her support and to remind me of my own courage, she asked her mom if she could get her head shaved. Not caring what others thought, she had her beautiful locks cut off and...

My ‘one’ is none other than my significant other my husband. Moving from South Africa to New Zealand without family is a task itself, Kes my husband always reminded me that being positive and having faith even on our darkest days will pull us through anything. There were times and days when I thought twice about being away from family...

Grannie Annie was one of the most interesting people I know. When I was little, she carried out the biggest random act of kindness by looking after me and my sister when my parents were at work. The memories of painted pictures, made-up games with household ornaments, and walks in the park fill my mind, wrapped in a blanket of...

Meet my daughter, Kyrie, She has always been the one who supported and encouraged me, always. Regardless of where she was (Marines), she has always been my inspiration for doing my best.

Coach Benhalim is my ‘one’, because she sees something in me that no other person has before. I’ve been through some rough times with sports and other people putting me down, but Coach B. was able to bring me back up. I truly feel that she cares for my well being. This is evident because she shows it by pushing me...

Nia Z. Sherar is the most inspirational and hardworking human on this planet. Nia had the dream of planting corn in Africa to help feed the impoverished people. She made the dream of assisting those in need in Africa a reality. She traveled to Kenya with her own money and began giving out microcredit loans to women. She then started...

My name is Rishika Jeyaprakash. I am a kind fifth grader at Mason Intermediate. Kindness is important to me because it always puts a grin on someone’s face. At school if someone is sad, I try to put a smile on their face whether it means to get goofy or to get messy. Whenever I come across people who need...

Over the past few years, my eyes have been a bit more open to opportunities to show a little more kindness to others. An easy way to do that for me has been to compliment someone! You never know what people are going through these days, and something like that can really brighten someone's day! There was one particular time...

My blind and autistic son Pauly is my motivation and "Hero". Since Pauly cannot see and talk we have relied on music to sooth and call him. I know firsthand the power and happiness that music gives with Pauly and we want to bring that same joy to others. My son has inspired me to start "Paulys Project" in...

I have just finished my first term as the new Head Teacher of the Dharma Primary School. Dharma is the first primary school in the United Kingdom to be based on Buddhist values, with mindfulness at its heart. As a practising Buddhist, loving kindness is central to both my personal practice and the school’s ethos. Forgiveness is a companion to...

I’m Marie. I’m a wife, mother, visual artist, and cancer survivor. I grew up in Appalachia with very humble roots. My parents used to have my older sister pay for my school lunch because I gave my money away every day to others and came home hungry if left to my own devices. Even at an early age, I loved...

My name is Zoe, and I'm a student. Inside the high school, everyone is trying to prepare us for adulthood. I constantly feel the stress to quit being a child and grow up, yet when I look around, I see childhood nastiness all around. People swear and insult others to try to act cool, while others are bullied because of someone...