In your own words, why do you deserve to be the 2026 Kindness Champion?

Being asked why I deserve recognition is honestly a little difficult for me to answer. I have never viewed kindness as something you do for recognition, but rather as part of how you choose to show up for the people around you and the kind of person you choose to be.

Throughout my life, I have tried to be someone who brings people together, recognizes the value in others, and steps in when there is an opportunity to help. That carries through my family, my friendships, my work, and my community. For me, showing up is often found in the small details such as making sure someone knows they were thought about, remembering something important to them, checking in, simply being present when someone needs it. I try to celebrate other people's accomplishments, connect people to opportunities and resources, and make sure people feel like they have a place, a voice, and someone in their corner.
Many of the moments I am most proud of aren't necessarily big or public. They are found in the relationships I have built, the people who know they can reach out to me, the opportunities that started because I made a connection, or simply knowing that something I did helped someone feel supported, included, remembered, or valued.

I practice kindness by consistently choosing to show up for others, even when no one is watching or expecting me to. Sometimes kindness is simply paying attention to the little things and letting someone know you are there, in whatever way you can.

I am far from perfect, and I don't always get everything right, but I genuinely try to lead with a kind heart and leave people and places a little better than I found them. If this nomination reflects that others have felt that through my actions, then that is something I am incredibly grateful for and proud of. More than anything, being recognized for kindness is meaningful to me because it tells me that those small moments mattered to someone, and that is really what kindness has always been about for me.

What does kindness mean to you?

To me, kindness is something I try to practice and share without really thinking about it. It doesn't take a lot of effort to be kind, and sometimes the smallest act can have a much bigger impact than we realize. We never truly know what someone else may be going through. Sometimes just knowing someone thought about you, noticed you, remembered something you said, or cared enough to ask how they could help can mean everything in that moment.  I think kindness can look completely different from one person to another. It can be a big gesture everyone sees, or something small that no one else will ever know about. To me, both matter. I find kindness in the little details ,checking in, remembering something important to someone, celebrating their accomplishments, including someone, offering encouragement, or simply making sure they know they were thought about.  I also believe there is something really special about having a kind heart and bringing positive energy into the spaces around you. The way we show up matters. One positive interaction can change the direction of someone's day, and that kindness can continue to spread in ways we may never even see.  Whether it's with my family, my friends, through my work, in my community, or even with someone I may only cross paths with once, I try to remember that I don't know what that person may be carrying. I believe we all bring something different and valuable into this world, and kindness is recognizing that and making people feel seen, valued, supported, and included.  For me, kindness is choosing to care, choosing to notice, and choosing to show up. It doesn't always have to be extraordinary. Most of the time, it's found in the little things and sometimes those little things end up meaning the most.

In your own words, why do you deserve to be the 2026 Kindness Champion?

I am honored and humbled to have been nominated for the Kindness Champion Award. 

I am the Executive Director of the non-profit Circle of Friends for the Dying and of Jim and Lisa’s Circle Home, a comfort care home for people during the last three months of their lives. Ours is a generosity-based model. If a person has no funds, they are welcome and not treated any differently. If people can contribute towards their care, we ask that they pay it forwards and back.

I would be honored to receive the 2027 Kindness Champion award on behalf of all the people with whom I work: residents, caregivers, staff, volunteer board members and other volunteers. 

I have been blessed by many experiences in my life. During High School I volunteered at Bellevue Hospital’s inpatient elementary school. I worked as a certified Spanish-language court interpreter in NY and MA where I bore silent witness to many stories in Family, Civil, and Criminal Courts. I have worked in seed-saving of heirloom food plants, as a community educator in public health promotion, as an Impaired Driver Instructor, as an ESL and GED Teacher, in women’s mentoring and in kinship caregiving, in nonprofits, in holistic healing, and as a writer. I have observed that kindness is a force for transformational change. Kindness has power.

I deserve this award because its bestowal would truly be for all those who have come before me. They are the true awardees: our families, our ancestors, our teachers, our friends, and our colleagues. They are the ones who have led me to this moment. They introduced in me the beneficial cultures of lovingkindness and instilled the best and highest values of compassion, of right livelihood, of service, of critical discernment, and of course, of kindness.

What does kindness mean to you?

Kindness to me means taking action in life with the value and ethic of what is truly for the best and highest good. It means saying yes when someone asks me for help. Kindness means acting with integrity. Kindness includes questioning authority, utilizing my critical reasoning and discernment, faculties and talents. Kindness requires being a student of life and committing to decisions, allowing for my yeses to be yeses and for my noes to be noes.  Kindness requires me to seek out what is most useful. Kindness requires me to act in ways countering Hannah Arendt’s concept of, “the banality of evil”. When asked for a definition, I always look to the source of a word, and to its context. On the topic of kindness, I am brought to Shakespeare’s Hamlet musing about, “a little more than kin and less than kind”. Indeed, an obsolete meaning of kindness in the Oxford English Dictionary describes having a kinship nature, of being similar, of being from the same source and origin.  Kindness as a foundational value means that I wonder about how my actions will amplify the greatest happiness possible. Kindness means I take personal stock. If I am kin with everyone, then we are extensions of each other. If I extend kindness to someone else, I am being kind to myself, too. If we are all kin, how can I not be kind? I am the Executive Director of Circle of Friends for the Dying and of Jim and Lisa’s Circle Home. We educate about the topics of dying and death and are a care home for people in the last three months of life. We work out of a house which was donated to us to do exactly what we are doing. We are chosen family. We are staff and volunteer caregivers. We exist so that people do not die alone, so that people experience the process of dying with as much comfort, dignity, and love as possible. After all, we are alive until we are dead. Why not create as much joy and kindness as possible?

In your own words, why do you deserve to be the 2026 Kindness Champion?

I was raised to be kind, to consider the impact on others of my actions and my words. I honestly don’t know that I deserve to be the champion for simply trying to a the good person who values others above self. The recognition is never a reason to be kind, the opposite in fact, kindness is to commit to doing good even when it goes unnoticed. But what I do know, is that being nominated in and of itself means I have achieved the goal of being the kind person my parents believed for me to be and that is the true reward. I’m grateful to live a life where I have the opportunity, resources, and drive to share kindness with others.

What does kindness mean to you?

Kindness is what happens in the everyday ordinary moments when you choose to focus on others over self. Kindness does not have to be a grand gesture, it can come in a smile or simple good morning, an unexpected gift given just because, or a helping hand where it is needed most. Kindness is a spirit of giving without thought, without regret, and without any expectation of receiving.  Kindness is committing to take positive actions even when you don’t know the person on the receiving end or what the moment might mean for them.

In your own words, why do you deserve to be the 2026 Kindness Champion?

I believe I embody what it means to be a Kindness Champion because kindness is the foundation of every interaction I have. I strive to see the whole person beyond their circumstances, and treat everyone with dignity, compassion, and respect. In my role as a High-Risk Navigator, I advocate for some of the community's most vulnerable individuals. Whether it's helping someone secure housing, reconnecting them with treatment, obtaining clothing or basic necessities, navigating complex healthcare and social service systems, or simply sitting with someone who feels alone, I believe even the smallest acts of kindness can have a lasting impact. I don't see these actions as extraordinary; they are simply the way I believe people deserve to be treated. Being nominated is an incredible honor because it reflects the values I strive to live every day. If selected as the 2026 Kindness Champion, I hope to continue inspiring others to recognize that kindness is not just an act, it is a choice we make every day to lit others up, create hope, and make our community a better place.

What does kindness mean to you?

Kindness is more than a gesture - it's an action. It means meeting people where they are, listening without judgement, advocating when systems become barriers, and refusing to give up on someone when they feel everyone else has. Kindness has the power to restore dignity, build trust, and change lives.

In your own words, why do you deserve to be the 2026 Kindness Champion?

I own a store called Back In The Game Sports in Florida, New York, and we give away bicycles as well as strollers as well as baby formula and diapers on a daily basis. I have decided to turn this store into a place that is safe for people to come and get the things they need. I am focused on the community that I have this store in, and I will continue to give out these items as long as I am healthy enough to do so. Over the last five years, we have given away over 45,000 bicycles.

On a daily basis, I give out over 50 cans of formula to mom’s in need.

More than anything, I believe in showing kindness the motto of the store is make it a kind day, and based on the fact that I have been nominated for this award, I would assume that the Messages is getting out there.

What does kindness mean to you?

Kindness means living a life of gratitude and thinking that what I have is enough, and therefore giving the rest of it to people who need it. Kindness means showing people a smile and offering respect to everyone. Kindness means showing empathy towards people and understanding how lucky I am so that I can help them because they have less than I do.

In your own words, why do you deserve to be the 2026 Kindness Champion?

I don't know if I deserve to be the 2027 Kindness Champion but I do know that a bit of kindness goes a long way. So many people are struggling in this world and to everyone outside they seem just fine.  Meanwhile they are fighting a battle or carrying a burden that no one knows about or can see.  Showing kindness is so easy to do and it can make a world of difference to a person whose path you cross.

What does kindness mean to you?

Kindness can be a small act or a grand gesture.  The impact that it has is what names it "kindness."  My mom always told me to walk a mile in someone else's shoes and you won't judge them so harshly.  I have always tried to live that advice and practice kindness to the best of my ability.

In your own words, why do you deserve to be the 2026 Kindness Champion?

My ongoing support of any and everyone I come into contact with.

What does kindness mean to you?

Putting a smile on others faces and warmth in their hearts

In your own words, why do you deserve to be the 2026 Kindness Champion?

I believe I deserve the Kindness Champion Award because, for the past six years, I have dedicated my time and energy to supporting people living with mental health challenges and drug addiction.

Working with people who are often struggling through some of the most difficult moments of their lives has taught me the true meaning of kindness, compassion, patience, and understanding. I believe that every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their circumstances or the challenges they are facing.

I do this work because I genuinely care about people and believe that everyone deserves a chance to be heard, supported, and given hope. For me, this work has never been about money, recognition, or praise. It is about making a difference in someone's life, even if that difference is simply listening without judgment, offering encouragement, or helping someone believe that things can get better.

Over the past six years, I have continued to show up for people when they need support the most. I try to see the person behind the struggles and remind them that their past does not define their future.

Being nominated for this award means a great deal to me because kindness is something I believe should be given freely and genuinely. If my actions have made even one person feel valued, understood, or less alone, then I know the work I do has meaning.

I would be honored to receive the Kindness Champion Award, not because I believe I am better than anyone else, but because it would recognize the importance of the work I am so passionate about: helping people, treating them with kindness, and never giving up on them.

What does kindness mean to you?

To me, kindness means showing love, compassion, and understanding to others, especially when they are going through difficult times. As a Christian, I believe kindness is one of the ways we put our faith into action. Jesus taught us to love others, to show compassion, and to care for those who are hurting or struggling.  Kindness is not about expecting something in return. It is about giving of yourself because you genuinely care. In my work with people experiencing mental health challenges and addiction, I try to see the person rather than their circumstances. I believe everyone deserves dignity, respect, patience, and the opportunity to feel valued.  For me, kindness can be as simple as listening without judgment, offering encouragement, being there when someone feels alone, or giving someone hope when they have lost sight of it. Sometimes, a small act of kindness can mean more to someone than we will ever know.  My faith reminds me that we are called to love our neighbours and to serve others with a humble heart. I don't do this work for recognition or financial reward. I do it because I believe God has given me an opportunity to make a difference in people's lives.  To me, kindness is love in action. It is choosing to care, choosing to understand, and choosing not to give up on someone when they may have given up on themselves.

In your own words, why do you deserve to be the 2026 Kindness Champion?

I am honored to have been nominated for the 2027 Kindness Champion award.

In my mind, one does not have to work to be kind, or offer a random act of kindness...one lives it. To the best of my ability, I choose to live by that example - to serve, share and nurture  my fellow human beings as I continue to walk along my
journey.

What does kindness mean to you?

Kindness, and being kind, is a mantra - one that I have striven to abide by during the course of my long personal life and professional career in Education. It does't take any effort to offer a smile, a word of encouragement or a simple deed to make someone feel wanted, cherished and/or valued.

In your own words, why do you deserve to be the 2026 Kindness Champion?

It would be an unexpected and deeply appreciated honor to be named the 2026 Kindness Champion, because the kindness I put into my community comes from the heart, with no expectation of anything in return. This started in childhood when I would visit family in another country; I was always drawn to give food to families and individuals I saw on the street, even offering up the snacks I'd packed for myself. No one taught me to do that in the moment; it just felt like the right thing to do. That instinct has stayed with me ever since. I believe kindness is something you act on, not something you perform for others to see, and that when you're kind to one person, it can ripple outward and inspire them to help someone else. This year, that belief led me to jump out of a plane for the Greystone Programs Leap for Autism event, running my own fundraising campaign as "The Soaring Fearlessly Pearls," not because it was easy, but because I knew it could make a real difference for families in need. I don't​ give back to the community and expect anything back. I do it because it's who I am, and I believe when you consistently give, help, and show up for others, good comes back to you in its own time.

What does kindness mean to you?

To me, kindness means giving without expecting anything in return. It's the quiet decision to notice someone else's need before your own convenience, to give a little of what you have, even when you don't have much to spare. This year, that meant donating backpacks to the Children with Dreams Foundation's annual School Supply Drive, knowing they'd go directly to youth in the community who needed them for the school year ahead. I've come to understand that kindness isn't about grand gestures; it's about consistency, about choosing generosity as a way of moving through the world rather than a one-time act. That's what makes kindness so powerful: it's contagious, and it costs nothing to give.