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Emerging Leaders Lead With Kindness

Learn more about the 2024 YLNI Bicentennial Kindness Challenge. 

Helping define Allen County, Indiana as the Kindest County in the Country!

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Allen County turned 200 in 2024! To celebrate, YLNI and the Allen County Commissioners launched the 2024 Kindness Challenge.

It was a county-wide initiative to spread kindness. Whether you participated individually or with a school, organization, or business, we achieved our goal of one million acts of kindness in 2024!

We watched Allen County's Kindness Movement SOAR to more than a million acts!

Total Acts in 2024
1,001,400
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Each and every act moved us closer to making Allen County the kindest county in the country. We inspired others, built momentum, and created a lasting bicentennial impact, one kind gesture at a time!

Allen County, Indiana schools, organizations, businesses, and community members were up for the challenge!

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Committing To Kindness

You joined us in embracing kindness and learned how to make a positive impact in our community!

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Acting on Opportunity

You discovered creative and meaningful ways to spread kindness no matter where you were!

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Paying it Forward

You inspired others by sharing your kindness journey and encouraging them to join the movement!

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Reflecting & Sharing

You shared your stories of kindness with us to help inspire more acts of kindness in our community!

A huge thank you to these Allen County schools, organizations, and businesses for taking on the challenge and completing 200 acts of kindness—check them out!
200 Acts of Kindness Participating Orgs Bash

See How Small Acts Made A Big Impact

I helped a man with Down Syndrome with his meal and cleaning up after he finished eating.

- Candace Delanoy

I made a meal for another family that has a new baby.

- Candace Delanoy

I assisted a woman with special needs with her self-care. She is not able to take care of some of her daily needs and I came along side to make sure she had those needs met.

- Candace Delanoy

Cash made a card for a staff member reducing their role at CASS and had the other Core Members sign it. The Core Members took turns sharing what they appreciate about the staff member.

- Cash/CASS Academy Core Members

Tina included a thoughtful note of appreciation with her rent check, the note being for the CASS staff, their care, love, and support. Check your email for the image of Tina's note.

- Tina Mills

Cash volunteered at the CASS Gala. After his responsibilities were complete, he came to CASS staff to see what else he could do to help.

- Cash

I let someone go ahead of me

- Jami Thomas

AS I was walking the dog today, I found a brand new pack of 10mm bullets. I do not use guns, so I walked them to my neighbors and gave the package to them. They were really excited.

- Leslee

Danaiya and Nakaiya assisted in a heated verbal altercation. They heard a commotion and walked the upset student to the office to avoid a fight and calm her down.

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Rak

Our school has a RAK (Random Acts of Kindness Club). Members consist of 2nd and 3rd graders. They meet twice a month after school during October, November and December. This is an ongoing club so students coming up from the younger grades might aspire to be in the club when they reach this grade and start their Acts of Kindness even earlier. The club will do things like make inspiring messages and hang them up around the school. They have painted rocks and put them around outside for people to find and share to brighten someone's day.

- Shambaugh Elementary

Braunson comes to the HUB every day after C lunch to retrieve our lunch trays. He has never been asked to do this, he just does it and expects nothing in return. He always hugs Ms. T, the teacher, first and asks her how her day is. While she does occasionally give him snacks for his kindness, she feels he deserves recognition for his random acts of kindness daily.

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A client at NIIC was sitting outside of their office. I assumed they were working on something solo. When I passed back by, the client said, "we forgot our key, but our coworker will be here in 10 minutes. I'm sorry we're in the way in the hall." I don't think they knew i worked there, because everyone thinks everyone in our building are other small businesses. I said, "Did you know that the Concierge has a key that can let you in?" Her face lit up and said, "Oh, thank you!"

- Rhonda Ladig

Want to learn more?

Interested in learning more about YLNI? Reach out to us today!