Kindness Cards bring needed warmth and connection 

Inspired by the idea of Giving Tuesday, I wanted to create an accessible and passive program that could appeal to youth members of all ages, especially elementary and middle school-aged children. As a youth services librarian, I conducted two previous “Giving Tuesday” themed active programs in which children in third grade and up could participate in a service activity program to help those in need in the local community. Those programs involved creating items like fleece blankets and cheerful toiletry packs for children and adults.   

Once the pandemic ended and the library opened for in-person services, the feedback we received from our members was the desire for more social connections and opportunities to engage with other library members. We also noticed that emotions were high, and members and staff were feeling anxious and weary. I wanted to bridge the connection between the library and our community through our library members. 

I approached our adult services outreach coordinator, and we began thinking of ways to connect children and adults through an intergenerational activity that could also ease some of the tensions we were seeing, and thus “Kindness Cards” were created!   We discussed the idea with our communications department who designed a postcard featuring the words “Choose Kindness” sketched over a rainbow. The other side of the card listed the library’s address on the bottom and plenty of space for the community to write or draw a kind word.   

Creating the cards

Children of any age could visit the Youth Services Department to create a card.  We provided a craft caddy holding blank postcards and supplies like stickers and colored pencils.  Children could write a cheerful note, decorate the card, and then drop it in a clear acrylic box.  The cards could be independently done and be as challenging as they desired.  Each month, we would collect the cards and send them to library members who received our homebound delivery service.  We also promoted the activity in our newsletter, website, and with a small sign at our reference desk.    

Soon other members wanted to know how they could participate.  We expanded the creation stations from exclusively in the Youth Services Department to the lobby area of our main building and brought it to our Branch location, where adults and teens could create Kindness Cards.   

Expanding the program

We began getting so many cards that we had to find additional outlets to share them, so we started handing them to members at one of our many outreach events.  Anyone visiting our booths at an outreach event such as a community festival or school fair could either create a Kindness Card or take home a completed one.  The outreach coordinator distributed the cards to neighboring nursing homes, assisted living facilities, those who receive Wheeling Township’s Home Delivered Meals, and neighboring park districts. We collected 341 cards in a six-month period.  

One of the great outcomes of this passive program was that the cards not only encouraged creative participation at a child’s own pace, but that this simple act fortified a feeling of community between younger and older people. When we began expanding the distribution, we realized we could help brighten someone’s day, across different avenues of the community, by this small gesture of kindness.  Members who received kindness cards through the Homebound Service expressed so much appreciation that it made it even more worthwhile.  In fact, one of our recipients said he wanted to be able to personally thank the children who created the card; however, since the cards were anonymous, he wrote us a letter expressing his thanks and said the card did indeed, “bring a smile to my day!”  

Since we’ve completed the Kindness Card project, what started as a simple idea has since evolved into developing a passive Veterans Day program in which library members could write thank you postcards to send to active military personnel around the world. These cards are the most coveted items in the care packages that are sent to support Operation Support Our Troops, America. This activity continues each year and extends encouragement to an underserved community.  

For resources, the website Random Acts of Kindness was a big inspiration and provides free resources to help you get started.  World Kindness Day, which began in 1998, is celebrated annually on November 13 worldwide.   

Jennifer Peterson is a member of the School Age Programs and Services Committee.  Jennifer is the Youth Services Supervisor at Indian Trails Public Library in Wheeling, IL.  She lives with her husband and two puppies, and believes the library is a place where everyone belongs. 

Stephanie Bone is the Adult Services Community Engagement Coordinator at Indian Trails Public Library in Wheeling, IL.  She is the secretary for the Bookmobile and Library Outreach Networking Group (B’LONG) and a member of ABOS. Stephanie enjoys spending time with her husband, toddler, and dog in West Dundee, IL.