At home or abroad, acts of kindness can change the face of hatred. The brain can’t be told, “just stop it now.” It needs something else to replace the behavior. By practicing kindness the world can change. The London Urban Services Organization sponsored their third annual 1000 Acts of Kindness event and this year there were thousands more acts than the organization even hoped for. The event went international getting participation for several American states as well.

“Is all this kindness making a difference? “We’re getting positive feedback from businesses and organizations. Teachers are reporting changes in classroom culture. They hear kids talking about it and treating each other respectfully,” says Fraser.”

READ THE STORY HERE

Schools all over the country are adopting “Rachel’s Challenge,” a movement to spread kindness.

Seven-year-old Zalissa Lomax, a student at Sardis Enrichment School in Georgia, started a ripple effect in her school inadvertantly, as a way of helping her 10 year old cousin. Zalissa and a friend cut their hair to make a wig for the relative she had never met. Her cousin suffers from a rare disease that causes her hair to fall out.

But her act of kindness inspired kids and began a chain reaction that continues . . .

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

Simply put, I’m a local author trying to do something to help disadvantaged kids in the Denver area. We have something like 18,000 homeless kids in Colorado.  We don’t see them because they’re staying in someone’s home or kicking around from home to home. It’s not as though they’re all on the streets. There are also a lot of families teetering on the edge of homelessness and it’ll be slim pickings for their families this holiday season. It humbles me and makes me feel so grateful for what my family has! Right now I’m moving on to my next book and I don’t have a lot of money to give, but I do have books.

My goal is to donate 1000 of my books to organizations who will distribute them by Christmas. For each book I sell, whether it’s through a personal appearance, my website or through Amazon, I’ll donate a book. On my website I’m offering a 30% discount plus free shipping. Anything I make is basically to cover costs; but I need your help to make the 1000 mark because frankly, I’m not wealthy enough to make the entire donation on my own.

We all have a sphere of influence. Some are large, some are small; the size of it doesn’t really matter, what matters is the effort we put forth to help those around us. Would you help me by asking your sphere to support what I’m doing? The books are my childrens picture book, “Sarah O’Hara ~ Gift of the Fairy Wings” about a little bully who learns a lesson on kindness. It’s hardcover, beautifully illustrated and has won three national awards. They make wonderful gifts, and I can sign them to a specific child (or children) if I get a comment in the PayPal comment section. (I can’t sign books bought through Amazon.)

Here’s a link if you’d like to purchase it: http://sarahohara.com/blog/kindness/give-the-gift-that-keeps-on-giving/

I appreciate anything you can do to help, whether it’s buying a book or two for gifts, posting on your FB page, tweeting, or sending an email to your friends. Because of your purchase, a child you love will have a very special book to cherish, while another child, you don’t know, will have a present under the tree.

Thank you for supporting literacy, and thanks for all you do!

Bring Joy to a Disadvantaged Child

Save 30% Plus get FREE SHIPPING*

When using COUPON CODE - KIND

(*30% discount/free shipping offer applies only to purchases checked out through this website)

By purchasing a copy of “Sarah O’Hara Gift of the Fairy Wings” you can put another copy into the hands of a homeless child or a kid who’s never had a brand new book.

From now through the Christmas season, for every hardcover or eBook sold, through this website or Amazon.com*, a brand new Sarah O’Hara book will be donated to a local organization that will make sure a child has their very own signed copy to treasure.

The book is particularly relevant for parents, grandparents, educators, and caregivers who struggle with teaching their kids to be kind in an age where bullying begins in preschool. “Sarah O’Hara ~ Gift of the Fairy Wings” has won three national awards. It’s brilliant colors and engaging illustrations make it a favorite of children preschool to eight or nine years old. Each book purchased from this site will be autographed, by the author, to your child, children or YOU if you write their first name in the note/comment section of your PayPal transaction.

“Sarah O’Hara ~ Gift of the Fairy Wings”  is adored by educators and children alike! Here’s what they  say:

‘Sarah O’Hara ~ Gift of the Fairy Wings’ is an AMAZING book with AMAZING results!!!!! . . . I can see how this book really can begin to change the world, one child/family at a time. The content is interesting to children and easy to understand. It helps them to see that being kind in the real world is very important to making our world a better place to live. Thank you so much for this beautiful book!

~ Susan Basler, Director, Akron Head Start, Akron CO

“I had to email and tell you what a great response I had to your book. The kids were enthralled by the pictures and the story! Today when they came back to school, they couldn’t wait to look through the pictures. Several children wanted to hear the book again and some said they wanted it for Christmas!”

~ Betsy Mc H., Preschool Teacher and Author

There are many more wonderful reviews you can read by clicking here!

You can also read an excerpt of the book by clicking here!

BUY ONE GIFT ONE FREE

From now, until year end, put a book into the hands of a homeless or disadvantaged child. As  stated above, for every hardcover or eBook sold, through this website or Amazon.com*, a brand new Sarah O’Hara book will be donated to a local organization that will make sure a child has their very own signed copy to treasure. You will save 30% off the cover price (taken at checkout) get free shipping from a purchases on this site, and a child who may never have had a book of their own, will get a wonderfully illustrated, heartwarming story about how being kind rocks!

Just click on any one of the links below to purchase your copy now!

Use COUPON CODE ‘KIND’ when checking out through this site!

Check out HERE with COUPON CODE

Use coupon code ‘KIND’  Discount will be applied at check out.

Purchase Hardcover Book on Amazon.com

Purchase EBOOK on Amazon.com

*purchases on Amazon must be made directly to Amazon.com, not an Amazon vendor.

Denver area residents, please join me THIS EVENING!

I’m thrilled and honored to be among some awesome children’s authors reading from their books at the kick-off event for Denver’s chapter of “First Book.”

If you’re not familiar with them they advocate for children’s literacy by providing under-privileged kids (who can’t afford their First Book,) with their First Book.  You can check out more about them on their website:

http://www.firstbook.org/

Here’s what they have to say about themselves and more on the Event:

At First Book-Denver Metro, it is our mission to provide access to new books for children in need. Please join us on this evening to learn more about First Book-Denver Metro.

Host:Melanie Benjamin/Ann Waller303-681-8366

When:Wednesday, June 8 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Where:Wystone’s Tea7323 W Alaska DrLakewood, CO 80226

Wystone’s is graciously donating 25% of all food and beverage receipts to our fundraising efforts. I am discounting my signed books and donating %40 of  my receipts.

We will have ongoing “Story Time” all evening with the following:

4:30pm
2011 Colorado Teacher of the Year, Michelle Pearson, will be reading one of her favorite children’s books.
5:30pm
Glenda Blosser, author of “Love Is In The Air”
6:00pm
Penny Holguin, author of “Sarah O’Hara; Gift of the Fairy Wings”
6:30pm
Cynthia Ashenbrenner, author of “The Egg Book” and “The Alphabet at my House”
7:00
Angel Tuccy, author of “Mommy Has Lots To Do”
(These are all local children’s authors)

Buy a raffle ticket for a chance to win great prizes including:
A facial from Blissful Med Spa
Movie tickets
Bowling at Lucky Strike Bowling Alley
Books
And much more

We look forward to seeing you!

As a reintroduction to this three part post, I’ve been ‘egged’ on by one of my Twitter followers to answer some questions on the meaning of kindness. I like to think of myself as an expert on solutions to childhood bullying; my message being ‘kindness is the alternative to bullying.” I’m more of a novice on the explicit topic of kindness. The Dali Lama, now he’s an expert!

I took up the challenge of one of my followers, @benbenbeniii, who asked me a series of questions. Can’t promise I’ll be able to blog about every question asked of me — this is a first — but this is the last question of three which prompted a three part series.

“How long should you be kind? Until kindness be you?”

As my nine year old daughter has been the inspiration for much of my writing, this question brought to mind a conversation I had with her recently.

She told me about how well she acted in school and was rewarded for her good behavior even though she was just ‘acting.’ She had a headache and really didn’t feel like behaving well. I told her that was probably a good choice because  holding it together in public is probably a better choice than  being overly dramatic in the classroom. (Acting up in class is just more ammunition for the bullies who look for the weak link, those who are different, those who stand out.) We don’t mind her bringing her irritable behavior home where’s she’s loved and it’s safe and she can let loose a bit.  We talked about the  expression “Fake it ’till you make it.” Which is exactly what she was able to do on her own; she acted better then she felt.

How does this relate to kindness? Well, to me it’s very much the same thing. If kindness is something foreign and there’s resistance to being nice, doing the right thing, acting better than you feel; then it needs to be practiced until it becomes second nature or comfortable. No one ever said it’s comfortable to try anything new, sort of like breaking in a new pair of shoes. They feel uncomfortable until they become comfortable.

So yes, @benbenbeniii, it is “until kindness be you” — often kindness does feel uncomfortable, if one is unpracticed. But as they say, practice makes perfect! And the best part about practicing kindness is that the rewards for it are immediate!

What do you do to practice kindness, how do you teach your kids to be kind and what are your rewards?

Yesterday my daughter, who has ADHD,  told me she wanted to change schools; everyone is mean to her. Kids with disorders are more often easy targets for the bullies because they don’t quite fit in. Their issues, which differ from kid to kid, but are alike in the fact that they set these children apart from their peers, are GLARING in the eyes of other kids. I work with my sweet girl on her impulse control issues but it’s heartbreaking to me when I’m in earshot of her snickering classmates.

As parents of children who are, for whatever reason, more susceptible to bullying we can’t be dismissive of their dramas. It’s important for our kids to report and ‘unburden’ themselves after being picked on or made fun of. However, as everything in life, it’s all a matter of perspective. Yesterday’s episode ended with writing a list of mean classmates and other school culprits. When we finished it, we set it aside and took out a fresh paper. This one contained the names of the nice kids, the ones in her class who have the wherewithal to be kind, or at least tolerant. Assessing both papers, it was easy to see that there were more names on the ‘Nice Kid’ list.

I assured my daughter that when I was young there were a few girls who were the class bullies and somehow they found me. I had my altercations with them, even ended up shoving one of them and getting in a whole lot of trouble! Luckily, I was given a piece of advise many years ago that helped more than anything. I shared it with both my kids as we surveyed the lists. “Go where the love is.” Don’t hang out with the kids on the ‘mean list’ and spend your time with the kids on the ‘nice list.’

Summary of today’s events? . . .

Two of the girls on the ‘nice list’ now need to be moved to the ‘mean list’ because they wouldn’t include my daughter in their club.

I’ll still encourage her to ‘go where the love is’ because a positive attitude and healthy self esteem, in the midst of fickle third graders, is not only the best defense, it’s the best way to enter adulthood. However, I’ll continue to be on alert for any and all bully tricks because I can see this issue isn’t going away any time soon.