In a world consumed by chaos, poverty, war and greed, staying positive can become a difficult task. If you happen to be an individual looking for an answer in these troublesome times, you can find it here at City College. What might that answer be?
Kindness.
27-year-old City College student Mike Petrone created a website one year ago to begin spreading this virtue around. When those close to Petrone began to acknowledge simple acts of generosity he would perform naturally, the thought crossed his mind that he could influence people on a larger scale.
“I have always generally been a kind and caring person and I started to notice that my actions were motivating and inspiring people in my inner circle. I would hear things such as ‘Mike, I saw you give a homeless guy lunch the other day’ or ‘Mike, I loved how you paid for that random person’s coffee. You inspired me to go and do a kind deed.’ And I noticed more and more people were becoming inspired by my actions and it was then that I knew I could create an outlet to inspire more people on a massive level,” said Petrone.
It was that thought that led to creating Cultivate Kindness.
Cultivate Kindness is a campaign that reaches out to those that want to make a difference. By spreading his vision through both a website and Facebook page, Petrone has been able to create chapters in Miami, Denver, Atlanta, D.C., Baltimore and San Diego.
Through his websites and those contributing in these cities, Petrone and his campaign were able to collect over 500 bags of clothing and over 200 meals for the homeless in his last nationwide clothing drive.
He is also currently collaborating with “Think Kindness,” a nonprofit out of Reno, Nev. to create a bigger entity and help make a difference through seminars and assemblies at schools across the country.
Petrone, who arrived in San Diego in April, will be bringing kindness to this city in both September and October. For those interested in helping those in need he will be holding a “Balloons for Babies” drive on Sept. 28 where he will be collecting new toys, stuffed animals, coloring books and more for local children’s hospitals.
He has also begun taking donations for his second nationwide clothing drive that will be held on Oct. 19.
Donations can be made in a Cultivate Kindness drop box in the library or coordinated with a Cultivate Kindness representative.
Why live in a world consumed by chaos? Why not embrace a world consumed by compassion. If you are unable to make contributions, there are other ways to make a difference. Why not be the change you wish to see?
As Petrone explains, “You can take the Cultivate Kindness Pledge and Perform at least one generous act a week (or as many as you would like) or you can become directly involved with our Cultivate Kindness events and drives. Any kind gesture is one step closer to changing the world.”
Any further questions can be answered at CultivateKindnessCampaign@gmail.com or found on Petrone’s website: www.cultivatekindness.com.
