Riverhead School District

Share your act of kindness during the Great Kindness Challenge

#RiverheadKindness: The Great Kindness Challenge 2017 from Riverhead CAP on Vimeo.

How many acts of kindness can you perform in one week?

Students at two Riverhead elementary schools are inviting members of the public to participate in the Great Kindness Challenge starting Monday. Anyone who participates should post a photo on social media using the hashtag #RiverheadKindness.

The fourth-grade students at Phillips Avenue and Roanoke Avenue Elementary school, known as Peacemakers, are on a “mission to prevent bullying through peer-led initiatives,” according to Riverhead Community Awareness Program, a nonprofit community-based organization that seeks to address problems caused by alcohol and drugs within Riverhead schools and the community.

The Great Kindness Challenge runs through Jan. 27. A checklist can be downloaded for from CAP’s website for ideas and inspiration. Students also encourage participants to tag @RiverheadCAP so photos can be shared on the organization’s social media pages as well.

The Peacemakers have worked under the direction of Riverhead CAP social worker Shannon Kutner and have participated in the challenge since 2013. In 2015, they created a video inviting all of the Riverhead schools to participate, which resulted in Riverhead being designated a Kindness Certified School District by Kids for Peace.

“The students are looking forward to community participation and can’t wait to see the kind acts,” Ms. Kutner said in a statement. “They have learned that when we are kind it creates a ripple effect and a culture of kindness.”