More than 3 million students, parents, teachers and community members have taken the Be Kind pledge. 26 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | NOVEMBER 2018

treating each other in a kind way,” she said. The changes the Be Kind People Project inspires are more than individual; they can impact an entire school. Teachers report that after incorporating the Be Kind pledge they spend less time disciplining their students and more time teaching. A student in the Kyrene district started a kindness club. And one Title I school in Phoenix went from mid-to-lower achievement to being an A+ school after its teachers, students and parents adopted the Be Kind pledge. But it’s not just children and schools that the project has changed. It’s changed Marcia Meyer as well. In the process of launching and leading the Be Kind People Project, she finds that she has become a gentler, more tolerant, more hopeful person. She has also become more aware of our city, the complexity of the education system and the challenges families face. “Kids today are facing huge social issues,” she said. “Seeing thousands of faces, listening to responses, talking with schools, and hearing parents’ concerns has highlighted the pressures. They need support, inspiration and involvement from adults to help them make good choices.” Ivory Myers says Meyer is a guiding force for him and the whole Be Kind People crew. In essence, her mission has become their mission. “We’re an eclectic group who brought one person’s vision to life, not only honoring and thanking unsung heroes — our teachers — but really getting on the level of our youth and looking at life from their perspective. Our future is crying out for acceptance and validation.” Back at Catalina Ventura, the assembly is over and the kids file out of the auditorium. Only now, when they receive Be Kind pledge cards, the majority say thank you, while most didn’t say thanks for the sticker they received on the way in. It’s a tangible way the group tallies BE ENCOURAGING. BE SUPPORTIVE. BE HELPFUL. How you can help the Be Kind People Project • Consider the Be Kind People Project for your Arizona state tax credit contribution. The organization will use the money to deliver youth development programs to students in Title I schools. For info, go to thebekindpeopleproject .org/taxcredit or call (602) 559-9399. • Go to the group’s FULL CIRCLE Premiere at the Madison Center for the Arts on Dec. 1, 2018. The theater performance will provide inspiration, motivation and fun. • Sponsor a school. It costs $4,000 for a school to receive an all-school assembly by the Be Kind crew and monthly follow-up on skills of the Be Kind pledge with online classroom learning. For an average school of 600 students, that’s a little over $6.50 per student for a year of academic, health, online and character education. • Email info@BKPP.org to have your name added to the Be Kind People Project “One Million Citizens for Kindness” during Be Kind America month (through November 30). • Volunteer! The organization needs help with a variety of projects. Email info@BKPP.org to get started. COVER STORY CONTINUED NOVEMBER 2018 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA 27