December Kindness News

Season’s Greetings Everyone!

I love this time of year- everyone seems to make just a little bit (or a lot) more effort to be kind.

It makes my heart happy 😊

It’s been a big year, and …

we’re very proud and happy….The Kindness Catalyst started late last year and so far we’ve run 25 events, with 702 participants and we’ve impacted over 2887 people!

This impact is a conservative estimate, which doesn’t even consider how many people are hearing about/ being inspired by kindness via social media/ word of mouth/ media.

The science shows that people who give, receive and hear/ read about kindness ALL benefit from a significant boost to all four of their happy hormones and they’re more likely to pay it forward.

Last month was crazy busy…

but, hey, it was Kindness Week, so we went all out and we had a blast!

Firstly, we were generously invited…

back to Star 106.3 to have a long chat with Jack and Dannii to promote Kindness Week. They are huge supporters of what we do and it is always great to chat with them.

On World Kindness Day…

my husband Steve and I dropped over 110 Kindness Bombs in Townsville

60 Random Act of Kindness Packs- envelopes containing Pocket Hugs (thanks Danya’s Design) plus either a scratch-it or some cappuccino packs (thanks to our sponsors Donna Glass- Helen Munro Property and The Kindness Fairy) – were snuck onto car windscreens all across town.
Chocolates (x40- thanks sponsors), felt hearts (thanks St Margaret Mary’s Samaritan Angels) and hand painted coconuts (thanks Magnetic Island Coconuts) were handed out at bus stops and the entrance to Townsville University Hospital.

This was sooo much fun!!!

It was great to see the look on people’s faces when they realised that we didn’t want anything in return.

We did receive some beautiful hugs, some thanks via our socials (including a scratch it win!) and a personal call from a lady whose car was parked outside the courts- she is an elder court volunteer and she said it was really uplifting to find this on her windscreen after being in a negative court environment.

More media caught wind…

of what we were up to, and I was also invited to chat on ABC Radio Queensland and Triple T 103.9.

So great to have this community support- thanks guys!

We ran a Kindness Poetry Competition…

and received lots of beautiful, inspiring poems. Congratulations to our winners:

Jess Schwartz (1^st)
Ruth Guice (2^nd)
Barbara McCarthy (3^rd)

You can read them on The Kindness Catalyst facebook page.

These lovely winners were all brave and read their poetry out loud to everyone at the Christmas Art Market and Kindness Catalyst Merch Launch– which was a huge hit with everyone there (a full house) and gave us all warm fuzzies.

(Thanks to our market vendors Danya’s Design, Happy Clay, Treadles and Trinkets, Maggie O Digital Art and Beachtown Creative Artist Mary-Clare Baker).

Thanks to everyone who entered the poetry comp.

The winners were rewarded with vouchers donated by our Kind Café Sticks and Grinds Café, plus either a treat bundle (community donation) or a Kindness Kit (donated by The Kindness Catalyst).

Speaking of Kindness Kits…

we are now selling Pick-me-up Packs (packed full of comfort- $33) and Kindness Activity Packs for 2 (10 kind activities to do with a friend- $27.50).

All profit goes to supporting community kindness events.

We’d love you to support us by buying a pack- available now for Christmas and all year round at www.thekindnesscatalyst.com.au

You can check out all their contents on our website.

We offer free Townsville delivery and can also arrange postage or Pay it Forward (we just did this for someone!)

If you’d like to win a Kindness Kit…

jump onto the Smiles Chiropractic Townsville fb page (the non-cracking chiro).

Stacey is generously giving away a Pick-me-up Pack and a Kind Activity Pack- winners are drawn Mon Dec 23.

I have been asked what’s in store for The Kindness Catalyst in 2025?

I am currently taking community feedback/ ideas for next year.

Please let me know what you liked about last year and any ideas you may have for next year.

We will also be having a feedback/brainstorm…

session at our Kind Café Missy Moos Coffee in February with our first Thank You Thursday.

This Thank You Thursday we’ll be inviting participants to bring in a tea room treat (e.g. Tim Tams).

We’ll colour in Thank You cards and create a gift hamper for the hard-working Oncology Team at Townsville University Hospital. (we’re still finalising dates)

We’ll be kicking off the new year with…

a Family Kindness Day for both young and mature at Sticks and Grinds Café.

From 1-4 pm on Tuesday January 14, we’ll be inviting everyone to come down to the café for some FREE fun kind activities including Kind Rock Painting, Kindness Chalking and helping to create a Kindness Mural to be hung in the café.

We’re also hoping to have a face painter on site (not included in free activities).

You are invited to come and join us with or without kids. (kids need to be accompanied by an adult)

It will be a fun afternoon 😊

You might want to mark this one in your calendar.

As I write this, I keep…

thinking I should be doing something else.

And then I realise that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing and I feel super-blessed.

This would not be possible without our Kind Cafes – Missy Moos Coffee and Sticks and Grinds Café (love your Pay it Forward boards!) and our very generous sponsors- Donna Glass – Helen Munro Property and The Kindness Fairy plus a recent very generous community contribution that we received from an anonymous donor (wow!).

And thanks to our community collaborators and our promoters.

Thank you sooo much!

You really are making a difference.