JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Hundreds participated in the annual Jacksonville Beach Act of Kindness 5K run on Saturday.
Amy Barnett, the organizer, said they are trying to use the run to remind the community when it comes to fighting back against mental health and bullying.
“I’m so excited that we keep growing every year,” Barnett said. “I think the word is getting out that not only do we honor those in the community who are kindness heroes locally, but we also offer the opportunity for children and families to learn to be kindness heroes themselves.”
She said this year, the children are doing a kindness challenge where they complete seven to 10 acts of kindness. They will earn a “kindness cape” that they can wear, showing off that they did the act.
Barnett said they’ve reached 10s of thousands of kids and adults. They’ve also worked with teachers to bring mental health tools to the schools.
“IT makes such a huge difference, and we transform cultures of being mean and rude into cultures of kindness and caring. It’s actually amazing to see what these kids could do,” she said.
Barnett said their next goal is to get middle schools to address bullying.
