In the Triangle, kindness is spreading almost as quickly as the flu. One local organization, Inspire MEdia Network, encouraged people to do something kind for others on Inauguration Day for what the organization called, “Kindness Blitz.”
Andrea Griffith Cash works for the organization and said people did many things to celebrate being nice, from paying for others’ coffee to handing out candy. They then posted what they did on social media, using the hashtag, #KindnessBlitz.
“We had a lot of people writing nice notes and putting them on strangers’ cars,” she said. “What was cool, was then you could also see it from the recipient side because the notes had the hashtag on it, so heard from recipients saying, ‘I got that note, that made my day, I really needed that today.’”
Cash spoke with WCHL’s Aaron Keck.
Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger released a statement in which she supported the Kindness Blitz and invited Chapel Hill residents to partake in “A Day of Kindness and Respect.”
Cash said with the support, more people opted to participate.
“It doesn’t have to cost anything,” she said. “… Text a friend or maybe even resist the urge to criticize your significant other or to complain about something that day. So, it really takes on all forms.”
But she said that Inspire MEdia Network has a plan so that the kindness can last all year long. Cash said they’ll be working on a plan to first make an Instagram account that different people can take over for each day, and post about what they’re doing to be kind.
“If you’re just following along, it’s going to make your day better,” she said. “If you want to get involved, that’s great. But how cool would that be if we had this long line where you wrote me and you said, ‘I want to get in on that.’ And I said, ‘Well you’re going to have to wait 200 days, because that’s how many people have signed up.’ I mean, that would be a wonderful thing, a wonderful problem.”
She said a strong social media presence could help inspire others to then also do something kind, and reach as many people as possible. She said the entire purpose behind Inspire MEdia Network is kindness, so if they can gather as much support as possible, they can make a difference.
“It was really neat to see how organic it was,” Cash said. “This didn’t cost our organization a cent outside of my salary. So I appreciate people like you spreading the word, and the mayor and it just goes to show that there’s a real hunger for this right now.”
Click here to visit the Inspire MEdia Network Facebook page. Click here to visit the Inspire MEdia Network website.
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