Skip to Content
Drone fort wayne

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!

Acts of kindess banner

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
acts-of-kindness.png

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!

People 7688964 1280

Committing To Kindness

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

Ditto bowo Fnv 6 O4st Lg unsplash

Acting on Opportunity

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

Coffee 2937173 1280

Paying it Forward

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

Community work 8787261 1280

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

1. Escorted an elderly woman to her hometown for her last class reunion. She could not drive the 4-hour distance. 2. Donate clothing 3. Volunteered to set up the reception area for a celebration of life for roughly 300 people. 4. Paid for someone’s car registration. 5. Bring food bank food to a couple that can’t make it. 6. Gave a bike away to someone in need. 7. Help elderly people carry items to their cars. 8. Purchased ducks for the duck race fundraiser. 9. Rounded up 3 people to play pickleball along with myself for a fundraiser for a social services organization. 10. Substitute teaching 11. Showing up with someone for their 1st Radiation treatment. 12. Visiting a client at the hospital. 13. Visiting a client at the nursing home. 14. Giving things away on a Freecycle site. 15. Giving friendship bracelets to students 16. Praising the good behaviors & recognizing the small accomplishments of students I bus to day care. 17. Compliment others whenever I can. 18. Feed homeless neighborhood cats. 19. Donate old towels & blankets to animal shelter 20. Rounding up 4 people to volunteer at a fundraiser.

- mary klopfer

a student comforted another student after an injury

- Ruth Shaull

students wiped down tables in the Media Center after their class finished

- Ruth Shaull

students picking up trash around the school property

- Ruth Shaull

Students have found lost items and returned them to the correct owner

- Ruth Shaull

Our Garden club gave sunflower seeds (from our school garden) to every student The seeds can be planted at their own home

- Ruth Shaull

Teddy has agreed to help with the Kindercare kiddos in the afternoon in the gym

- Forest Park Elementary

Kailynn is helping supervise the Kindercare kiddos in the afternoon in the gym

- Forest Park Elementary

Helped a new employee feel welcome and settled in on their first day on the job!

- Patsy J

student helped a friend who needed and interpreter - showed her where to go and what she needed

- Ruth Shaull

One of our students carried the backpack of another student who was using crutches

- Ruth Shaull

Provided chocolate for the lobby desk for FACE visitors!

- Patsy J

Want to learn more?

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