‘Kindness Week’ in Orem spreads across the state of Utah
Nov 19, 2020, 3:33 PM | Updated: 3:34 pm
Photo Credit: Glory Thomas, @glowwithkindness Instagram
OREM, Utah — When Glory Thomas, 19, was just 14 years old, she founded ‘Kindness Week’: A weeklong promotion designed for the community to focus on kindness for an entire week.
With the world being filled with more frowns than smiles nowadays, Kindness Week in Orem emphasizes the importance to practice kindness.
Thomas — Miss Orem and the founder of Kindness Week — started the project when she was 14 years old. Both she and Orem Mayor Richard Bruns believed this project would make a difference in the community.
“I had recently been crowned Miss Orem’s Outstanding Teen, and I wanted to do something big,” Thomas said. “I decided to hold a citywide kindness week (to start with) and every single year it has grown exponentially.”
At first, it started in Thomas’s local communities by creating kindness acts for the community to fulfill.
“How I like to think of it, is [kindness] starts local, then your kind acts spread out and you don’t know how far it will go,” Thomas said.
Now, it has spread to other Utah cities.
The week of Nov. 16 to Nov. 23 has officially been dubbed ‘Kindness Week by Orem and other Utah Cities. As part of Orem’s 5th Annual Kindness Week, both Provo and Vineyard are holding their own in conjunction.
Kindness Week in Orem
“The thing with kindness is you have to practice it. This week gives the community the opportunity to practice kindness,” Thomas said. “By practicing for a week, it forms a foundation of kindness to carry throughout their lives.”
Kindness Week includes a series of activities for people of all ages to participate in. Each day is marked by a different way to show kindness, including in neighborhoods, families, schools and workplaces, the world, communities and culture.
Thomas’s hope is to one day have a statewide Kindness Week where communities come together.
“Be the one who makes a difference,” Thomas said. “Glow with kindness. Remember that when you glow with kindness you can be the one who makes a difference.”
Kindness Week agenda
Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020
Kindness in our schools and workplaces: Submit your entries for Kindest School and Business in Orem.
Friday, Nov. 20, 2020
Kindness in our World: Give three compliments to three people in person or on social media using the hashtags “#kindframeofmind,” “#glowithkindness,” and “#betheone.”
Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020
Kindness in our community: Circle of Kindness Activity. Sign up for your Kindness Kit at JustServe.org.
Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020
Kindness in our culture: Watch for a video of kind acts.
Monday, Nov. 23, 2020
Continue the Kindness: Participate in a virtual presentation of Kindness Awards.
