It’s official! Eugene mayor Lucy Vinis has formally signed the City of Kindness pledge and has joined the City of Kindness movement. The exciting news was announced at Eugene’s Choose Kindness Celebration on November 3rd, where City of Kindness Founder and Former Anaheim, CA Mayor Tom Tait came up to meet with leaders in Eugene’s kindness initiative and give the event’s keynote speech.
Eugene’s Kindness Initiative
Eugene’s Spreading Kindness Campaign began as a grass-roots initiative, where five members of the community were brought together by the common goal of increasing kindness as an antidote to the upsetting community and political conversation which had become the norm. The hope was to change that conversation by infecting the city with kindness; a concept that has proven to be quite contagious after reviewing Eugene’s success.
Spreading Kindness Campaign
Since its beginnings, Eugene’s Spreading Kindness Campaign has grown and organized significantly, with reaches extending across numerous community domains.
The campaign’s first kindness action began with the distribution of yard signs asking passersby to “Choose Kindness.” Over 1,800 of these signs have been handed out to date, serving as an impactful visual reminder of the campaign’s mission.
Popularity of Eugene’s “Choose Kindness” signs sparked momentum that has since driven incredible campaign action. “Kindness Dinners,” or opportunities for community members to connect and build relationships around kindness, have been organized. Campaign committee members have become regular attendees at neighborhood association meetings, nonprofit events, school and government events, and faith groups in an effort to speak out on kindness and strengthen the public’s belief around it’s power to promote community well-being and transformation.
Becoming a City of Kindness
The response of the citizens of Eugene in becoming a City of Kindness has been overwhelming. Over 30 nonprofit organizations and multiple for profit businesses have endorsed the Spreading Kindness Campaign, demonstrating over 1,400,000 recorded acts of kindness, and counting! Numerous Eugene schools have implemented kindness activities in an effort to reinforce and reward positive behaviors. Even neighborhoods are hopping on board, cultivating and encouraging community spirit through the display of customized “Choose Kindness” signs!
Public awareness and community motivation to get active in the movement has maximized the effect of government initiatives, creating sustainable positive change. With continued community engagement and government collaboration, the city of Eugene is confident in its ability to create a lasting shift “from a culture of fear and conflict to one of trust and cooperation.”
So a giant “Thank you!” to the people of Eugene for all your hard work and dedication to this cause! We are nothing short of inspired, and so excited to see where this journey takes you.
