Photo submitted by the authors
Kindness Matters stickers designed by the fifth graders at MIS.
The Meghan Voisine Fund was established at Suffield Community Aid in memory of our daughter, Meghan, to provide individuals, groups and organizations with an opportunity to demonstrate or facilitate acts of kindness, friendship and inclusion within our town. This year, in her honor, the grants are now open to members of the community as well as to students and organizations who propose and complete a project or host an activity that benefits the community of Suffield.
For applications, please contact Suffield Community Aid at (860)668-1986 or contact maryc@suffieldcommunityaid.org.
Last year, we had another successful cycle of Meghan Voisine Kindness Matters Grants. Applications were released in the fall to students, teachers, and youth organizations in Suffield. Criteria for submitting the projects included the promotion of kindness, friendship, connection and inclusion. These grants honor the life of our daughter, Meg, and we are proud to have funded several projects over the past school year.
In support of Teacher of the Year Heather Goldstein’s message at convocation last Fall… “You can’t teach student’s minds unless you’ve captured their hearts”, we funded t-shirts that read “Heart before Mind”. These t shirts were given to all staff to wear during the school year. Along with the Kindness Matters t-shirts purchased two years ago, this was another way for staff to spread our message within the school environment.
At Suffield Middle School 7th and 8th graders continued to provide messages of appreciation and kindness to staff who were grateful for their efforts to bring sunshine to their day.
At McAlister the Empathy in Action project supported the Responsive Classroom Model which includes the CARES competencies, (Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy and Self-control) used in the social-emotional learning program at the school. The schoolwide project supported the “E” for empathy by helping students understand and appreciate the diverse ways that people experience the world. The guests from Spectrum Unplugged included a group of individuals with autism, their family members and professionals who share their personal experiences about living with autism. The panel offered authentic voices from people experiencing life in society in challenging ways. The group was open and honest and showed the students how important it is to show kindness, respect and inclusion to all. The panel answered questions from students who were very interested in understanding their perspectives.
We replenished supplies to the Kindness Club Food Pantry previously established at McAlister School to help students who are in need of snacks and materials.
Fifth Grade Student Council came through again this year with a Kindness Matters sticker project. The council designed kindness messages which were then made into stickers and given out to all students and staff at McAlister. They became available at parent events and were displayed all over the school providing a visible reminder of the need for kindness.
The Meghan Voisine Grant purchased all the books for the “One Book One Community” program at McAlister designed to create a shared reading experience within the school community and this year the program included 21 senior citizens to become part of that experience. The book selection was Tree, Table, Book by Lois Lowry. Every household received a copy to read together. Throughout the six-week experience, classrooms engaged in discussions and activities that promoted and enriched the shared reading experience.
Kate Tini, a senior at the High school, continued the Pen Pal project which built connections between generations by bringing together students and senior citizens to connect and share experiences through the art of letter writing.
The Suffield High School Lacrosse Team, for the third year, hosted a Kindness Matters/Morgan’s Message dedication game. The project supports mental health in our community specifically for student athletes, and sends the important message that mental health is as important as physical health.
The Grant Committee would like also to congratulate Maya Costello and Dymond Nelson as the recipients of the Meghan Voisine Kindness Matters Scholarship. This scholarship is not applied for by the student, but is awarded to a student who has been nominated by a teacher or staff member. The criteria is a student who consistently embodies qualities like compassion, generosity, empathy and respect to others.
We were pleased to be a contributor to the first “Suffield Reads” program, a community program which read the works of Kwame Alexander and culminated with a visit and discussion from the author himself.
We are so grateful for all the support and beautiful acts of kindness that Suffield students and teachers brought to our community. Their passion to do beautiful things for their peers, students and our community is something that we should all commend.
We look forward to this fall when applications for the Meghan Voisine Kindness Grants will be opened again and hope that our community, students and organizations will continue to keep this beautiful movement going. We hope you will apply!!!