Merewether’s Michelle Boundy is searching for 50 Newcastle Kindness Champions who are passionate about being kind and spreading positivity within the community.
Photo supplied
Boundy, the Stay Kind Community Kindness Champion for Newcastle and the Hunter region, is leading the 50 Hearts Project this World Kindness Day on November 13.
Stay Kind is an Australian not-for-profit organisation promoting harm reduction through kindness, encouraging simple acts of kindness that help to create long-term cultural change.
The 50 Hearts Project will focus on finding Novocastrians who promote and participate in acts of kindness throughout their everyday life.
Boundy said on November 13, she and some of the Stay Kind team would be at Merewether Beach chatting with the community about the importance of displaying kindness to others and searching for their 50 Kindness Champions.
“We are going set up at Merewether Beach near Blue Door Café and talk to people about kindness and why it’s important,” Boundy said.
“The first 50 people who come down and chat with me can write on a big heart, describing what kindness means to them along with their own unique acts of kindness.
“These hearts will then be displayed and pinned along Bathers Way from Merewether to Dixon Park Beach for everyone in the community to read and be inspired by.”
Boundy said the top three hearts with the best kindness stories would be framed and given to Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes and State Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp as a reminder of the day and of the people who love the Newcastle community.
Boundy said she would ask participants:
- What have you done to champion kindness in Newcastle?
- Why is displaying acts of kindness important for individuals and our community?
- Why do you think Newcastle is Australia’s kindest community?
“It’s going to be amazing. It’s something that Newcastle has never seen before, and I think visually it will really engage the community,” she said.
“It will be excellent for people to be able to walk along and read the different acts of kindness and what kindness means to others in the community.
“We are also looking for our kindest businesses as well, so what they do for their staff, how they promote kindness in the workplace, and what they do to support the community.”
Boundy has developed and implemented several initiatives over the past few years, all with the same theme, spreading and promoting the importance of kindness.
One of her highly successful initiatives was the 50 Walks Project.
Among participants were NSW Police Superintendent Matt Appleton, State Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp and Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes.
Boundy has dedicated hours of her time raising awareness of the positive impacts of kindness, and has raised significant funds for Stay Kind.
Some of her other projects include the 50 Acts of Kindness Project, the 50 Dinners Project, and The Bathers Way 50, when she walked 50km in one day to promote World Kindness Day.
Boundy encourages everyone to come to Merewether Beach and chat with her on November 13.
“Get your Novocastrian Champions of Kindness to join me on World Kindness Day, or simply come by and say hi!” she said.
“I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on kindness!”
Hayley McMahon
So proud of you Michelle, keep up the good work
