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The following is a republished press release from the Child Development Council and NOT written by The Ithaca Voice. To submit community announcements directly to The Voice, email [emailprotected]

ITHACA, N.Y. -- In honor of its 50th Year Anniversary, the Child Development Council (1967-2017), which serves Cortland and Tompkins Counties, will unveil a series of celebratory programs and events designed to entertain, engage, educate, and appreciate the children, families, and communities it serves. One such program launches next week and will run throughout 2017. That program is Random (and International) Acts of Kindness Year, which piggybacks on the theme of National Random Acts of Kindness Week, that occurs annually in February.

The Councils new campaign will be an ongoing collaboration with Mamas Comfort Camp and its Founder Yael Saar.

Child Development Council CEO, Sue Dale-Hall, states, Our children have no political parties, no ability to vote, and yet they are often in the middle of political rancor and unease. Now, more than ever, its important that we support children by promoting and demonstrating kindness at every level in our lives (at work, at home, in childcare and in the communities we all live in and serve.

Thats why the Child Development Council Board of Directors and staff, along with Mamas Comfort Camp, encourages friends, neighbors, providers, and caregivers to support both random and intentional acts of kindness throughout their workplaces, neighborhoods, and communities throughout the year, particularly how we treat one another and of course, children.

What YOU Can Do: Promote Kindness & Interview Children

The Council encourages workplaces, child care providers, caregivers, neighbors and community members to promote and support random (and intentional) acts of kindness this month and throughout the year. This would involve kindness to one another as adults and to, of course, the children we may interact with each day.

The Council also asks that you capture the VOICES of children. Please record children responding (with permission from caregivers and families naturally!) to the following questions:

1. What does kindness mean to you?

2. How can adults make the world a kinder place?

Videos from smartphones or other devices can be uploaded to the Facebook Random and Intentional Acts of Kindness Page: located here: fb.me/kindnessforkids

The Council has a Pinterest Page with resources on kindness and early childhood education here: https://www.pinterest.com/childdev2017/

The National Random Acts of Kindness Foundation website is located here: https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/

RAK Week, which will be observed Feb. 12-18, 2017, is an annual opportunity to unite through kindness. Formally recognized in 1995, this seven-day celebration demonstrates that kindness is contagious. It all starts with one act one smile, one coffee for a stranger, one favor for a friend. Its an opportunity for participants to leave the world better than they found it and inspire others to do the same. Since inception, RAK estimates that millions of celebrities, businesses, schools, and partners have participated in these weeklong celebrations.

Demonstrating kindness is linked to decreasing stress, improving mood, health, and over wellbeing in children and adults.

About the Child Development Council

The mission of the Child Development Council is to promote the healthy development of children and families at home, in child care, and in the community, by:

In promoting the healthy development of children and families, the various program activities of the agency are aimed at enhancing the quality of care that children receive and the environments in which they grow up, whether in home, child care, school, or neighborhood settings.

The Child Development Council is a proud member of both the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce and the Cortland County Chamber of Commerce.

About Mamas Comfort Camp

Mamas Comfort camp is an online peer support network using social media to strengthen mothers in the real world. We believe that Mamas don't need more advice, we need more support!

We are thousands of mothers, (almost 2000 are from the Ithaca area) connecting via a free private Facebook group, where support is available 24/7/365. Together we normalize the challenges and celebrate the joys of the roller-coaster ride called motherhood, all in a safe space free from judgment, protected from unsolicited advice, and steeped with respect and kindness. In Ithaca we enjoy a vibrant and responsive network of local moms helping each other out. We hold free support meetings, fun gatherings, and classes.

Free and open to moms of kids of ANY age: from moms of newborns to grandmothers and every stage in between. You can ask to join the group at: https://www.facebook.com/mamas.comfort.camp/

Featured image courtesy of Flickr.

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Ithaca organization encourages people to participate in National Random Acts of Kindness Week - The Ithaca Voice