Every year on Nov. 13, World Kindness Day is celebrated to unify the world in kindness. Formed in 1998 as part of the World Kindness Movement, it is observed in hundreds of countries including the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia and the United Arab Emirates. The holiday gives people the opportunity to reflect on the principle and help spread kindness in our everyday lives. This can be through anything from posting positive sticky notes to complimenting someone as they walk down the hall.

This week, the organization Roots of Kindness and Compassion, known as ROCK, will be hosting its first large-scale event on campus to celebrate. Led by the humanities course The Compassionate Life, each section collaborated to bring engaging activities to share with FGCU.

Dr. Andrea Fortin’s service team was the driving force that helped ROCK upscale the event. The event was moved from Cohen Student Union to the Library Lawn in order to attract a larger crowd and will be celebrated on Nov. 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event will feature RSOs, such as Model UN and Quadball, who will share how they spread acts of kindness throughout our campus. Ice cream, provided by Naples Ice Cream Truck, will also be given to those who attend. There will be appearances from Luna the Pug, Azul and President Micheal Martin. The event hopes to highlight the ROCK program and how a little act of kindness can truly go a long way.

The theme for World Kindness Day this year is taken from the Dalai Lama’s quote: “Be kind whenever possible.” That theme is shown by putting others’ needs and care as a priority. It’s the little things that matter. Things like saying please and thank you or asking someone how their day is are some examples that can really make a difference and help bring kindness to our everyday lives. Even something as small as a smile can make someone’s day a little brighter.

World Kindness Day allows people to share the love and compassion that they have for others around them. It doesn’t take much to be kind, so spread that joy around today and do at least one kind act.