Ottawa is already a great community but what if we actually spent some time encouraging the kindness that is and the kindness that can be in our City? For one special week in February – we are asking the people of Ottawa to CHOOSE TO BE KIND.

Kicking off with a public rally at the Rideau Centre, Kindness Week activities will be bringing Kindness to every corner of our community! More than 200,000 Kindness Cards will in circulation – if you get one – be sure to do something kind for someone and pass on the card. Members of the Ottawa Police are hoping to “catch” people in the act of doing kind things, handing out Kindness Citations that come with a complimentary coffee. And there’s much more! Brought to you by the many partners of the Ottawa Kindness Initiative, our web site www.kindottawa.ca has a complete list of Kindness Week activities and offers lots of ways for YOU to play a part. Involve your kids, take it to your workplace, send it to a friend, bring it into your classroom, give it to a total stranger ... CHOOSE TO BE KIND – and keep the kindness going!

Kindness Week Background It all started with Rabbi Bulka who wondered: if we could make Ottawa a kinder community… would we need to spend so much time on anti-bullying programs, anti-racism, issues of mistrust, and other nasty stuff?? He approached United Way to ask our help in rallying the community around doing something to promote and encourage more kindness in our community. We were happy to lend our support!

And, as it turns out, an Ottawa Kindness Initiative was an idea whose time had come. Over the course of several months earlier this year, the Rabbi had all kinds of people signed up to sit as members of a city-wide Steering Committee. Together, we are in the final planning stages to launch the 1st Annual Kindness Week at the Rideau Centre on February 15.

The Ottawa Kindness Initiative committee members are: A-Channel Ottawa - CBC/Radio Canada - CFRA - Child & Youth Friendly Ottawa (CAYFO) - Chin International Radio/TV - City of Ottawa/Ville d’Ottawa - CTV Ottawa - Il Postino - Interfaith Ottawa - Knock on Wood - McMillan - Ottawa Carleton District School Board - Ottawa Catholic School Board - Ottawa Sun - Ottawa Police Service - Rogers Television & Communications - SCO Health Service - The Ottawa Citizen - United Way/Centraide Ottawa - United Way/Centraide Ottawa Youth Action - Volunteer Ottawa