Kindness is one thing that unites a community. One group of people took it upon themselves to spread this kindness to the Whitewater community. This group, named Be Kind, hosted their inaugural event, the CommUnity Walk, Saturday, Nov. 16.
Around 60 participants arrived for the walk, with community members of all ages and races. Participants were given signs to hold while walking saying “Be Kind: Commit to Civility” and “Seamost Amables y Corteses” (Be Kind and Courteous).
“It doesn’t matter what we do. Kindness is an essential element to succeed in whatever you do,” Jorge Islas-Martinez said. “Without kindness, I don’t think anyone will hire you. I think kindness comes with other important elements, such as care, unity, love, trust, respect, and if you put all those elements together, that is when we as a community can succeed.”
The walk started at the Whitewater Armory and went down Main Street to UW-Whitewater’s Andersen Library. After a small break with refreshments and a few activities, the group made their way back to the Armory.
Participants had the chance to create their own signs to carry throughout the walk. The signs included words of kindness and encouragement, with participants of all ages creating these signs. Some signs read “Be Kind to Others,” “Amplify Love” and “Words Matter: Be positive.”
“We wanted Be Kind’s commitment to civility to be a larger campaign than just a walk,” said Dwight Watson, former UW-Whitewater Chancellor. “We wanted it to be something that permeates throughout the community throughout the year, and we wanted the walk to be the inaugural event. We thought that it was a good time to bring the community together in unity, which is why we capitalize the ‘U’ in ‘Community.’ To do the work around what we call the common good. The common good is to spread kindness and civility throughout the community.”
Be Kind also invited participants to donate food to the local food pantry, which is also located in the Armory. They received large donations of cereal, canned goods and peanut butter. This will be distributed to the community members in need.
Businesses and organizations around Whitewater put signs in front of their buildings to show their support for the Be Kind organization. These businesses and organizations included the Whitewater Arts Alliance, The Book Teller, The Vinery and more.
“Having movements like this gives people the action,” said Sarah Nickles, who traveled from Elkhorn to participate in the walk. “Human beings are good at being and are really good at doing. The human doing of doing something of kindness is getting amplified here.”
Be Kind is an organization made up of the Whitewater Pride, the League of Women Voters and the Whitewater Unites Lives (WUL). They teamed up to create this organization after realizing they all stood for the same thing. Be Kind is a movement centered around community unity and kindness.
Though the Be Kind organization is new and in the developmental stage, they are working on events to host for the community. For more information, visit their Facebook page.
