KINDNESS SPREADS WITH THOUSANDS OF PARTICIPANTS

Kindness is spreading. Random Act of Kindness Week participants have signed up from Perryville to Dexter.

In addition, nearly 75 businesses, individuals, schools, churches and organizations have signed up from Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Sikeston, Oak Ridge, Charleston, Poplar Bluff, Marble Hill and Advance, representing thousands of people.

In fact, requests have been received for more than 10,000 free smiley face stickers along with thousands of bookmarks. Participation signs and idea sheets are also available.

The start of Random Acts of Kindness Week is just three weeks away. It will begin Mother's Day, May 14, and runs through May 21. More than 30,000 stickers and thousands of bookmarks are still available.

Entire school districts are jumping on board this year, including the Cape Girardeau Public Schools as well as a number of the individual schools.

Dr. Dan Steska, superintendent, feels it's important that children both learn and practice kindness at an early age in small ways. Those kindnesses learned carry over to adult life, he said.

"It's also important that adults model those acts of kindness for the children," said Steska.

In Delta, the elementary school students will be collecting used backpacks from students to send to Romanian orphanages.

The project is the brainchild of Mary Livingston of the school and Carl Kagle of Cape Girardeau. The two attend the same church.

After a trip to Romania last year, Kagle told the church of the need for school supplies for the Romanian orphanages.

"My daughter, Jessica, asked me if our school could collect backpacks from the kids at the end of school to send with him on his next trip to Romania," wrote Livingston in an e-mail to the newspaper. Principal Ann Tierney approved, and soon letters will be sent to parents asking if they will allow their children to donate their used backpacks at the end of the school year.

But kindness is not limited to the schools.

Last year, a few Sunday School classes in the Dexter United Methodist Church participated in the week. This year, the entire church is jumping on the bandwagon. With kindness idea sheets in hand, members will be encouraged to find ways to incorporate kindness into every day activities. The sheets, which list 100 possible kindness acts, are available free of charge at the Southeast Missourian. The entire list will be published May 14 in the newspaper.

But many people aren't waiting to join the week as a group.

Betty Butler of Jackson is one who signed up as an individual, requesting 14 stickers, 14 bookmarks and 3 signs.

"I participated last year in my neighborhood," she said. "I like to make homemade bread. I made 12 loaves last year and took them to my neighbors."

She plans to do similar kindnesses again this year.

"They thanked me," said Butler. "I probably get more out of it than they do. I like doing stuff like that."

This marks the fifth year the Southeast Missourian has sponsored the Random Acts of Kindness Week. The newspaper has worked to promote the observance both in the region and to other newspapers across the country.

"Last week, I talked with a newspaper in West Bend, Wisc., that was considering a similar week in their community," said Joni Adams, managing editor of the Southeast Missourian. "Over the past five years, we've sent our materials and stories to other newspapers across the country."

The newspaper was also contacted last week by the Canada Newspaper Association, which wants to highlight the Southeast Missourian's observance at its national press meeting in two weeks.

It's not too late to sign up. Participants need only to fill out a form that appears daily in the newspaper and mail, fax or drop it by any Southeast Missourian office. A "KIndness Central" table is also set up in the lobby of the Missourian at 301 Broadway. All the kindness supplies are available free of charge.

For more information, contact Adams at (573) 335-6611 or (800) 879-1210.

KINDNESS LIST

It's easy to sign up for Random Acts of Kindness Week. Participants agree to do one kind thing during the week, which runs May 14-21. Free smiley face stickers, bookmarks, signs and idea sheets are also available at the newspaper office. Simply fill out the form on 8A in today's paper and drop it by, mail it or fax it to the Southeast Missourian. A complete list of participants will run May 15.

Participants who signed up this past week:

Cape Girardeau Public Schools

Division of Family Services in Marble Hill

Schnucks

Sav-A-Lot in Cape Girardeau

V.F.W. Auxiliary No. 10495 in Jackson

Franklin Elementary School

Schott & Van de Ven CPAs

Mara Kennon of Cape Girardeau

Century 21 Key Realty

Jefferson Elementary School

Birthright

Toni's Flower House

Jackson Chamber of Commerce

Red Letter Communications

Dexter United Methodist Church

Blanchard Elementary School

Community Caring Council

Betty Butler of Jackson

MO Preschool Project of Cape Girardeau

Cheerful Country Doers of FCE Club of Oak Ridge

The Lutheran Home

Saxony Village

Perryville Elementary School

Town and Country FCE Club in Jackson

B.P. Financial Services

SEMO Alliance for Disability

Trinity Lutheran School

First National Bank

Diversified Cable