Feel Good Friday - Random Acts of Kindness Foundation

Today is World Kindness Day, a global observance that encourages people everywhere to practice kindness, which makes it the perfect day to feature The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.

Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (RAK) explains its mission on its website as "inspiring and facilitating kindness through free resources focusing on schools, workplaces and home/communities." The idea was born in the Bay Area during a summer of violence, when a reporter suggested people start practicing random acts of kindness instead. RAK says they do what they do to inspire acts of kindness, provide opportunities for service, create a sense of belonging and inspire change.

Their flagship Kindness in the Classroom curriculum is a free, evidence-based social emotional learning program for Pre-K through high school that is approved by CASEL. Free printables like posters, coloring pages and kindness bingo make it easy to get started. Schools can also become a Distinguished Kindness School by completing a simple checklist, and 490 already have! Kindness belongs outside the classroom too, so RAK offers free resources for kindness at home and kindness at work, including a workplace assessment and a path to becoming a Distinguished Kindness Workplace. Then there are RAKtivists, short for Random Acts of Kindness activists, a worldwide community that shares ideas and celebrates everyday kindness. To see one in action, you can watch Meet Norm, a RAKtivist who transforms their neighborhood with kindness.

RAK has had a big impact around the world. Its lesson plans have been downloaded more than 1 million times since 2006, and more than 311,000 RAKtivists in 195 countries are helping make kindness the norm! Mark your calendar for Random Acts of Kindness Day on February 17, part of RAK Week, February 14 to 20, 2027.

Spreading kindness is the best way to support RAK, and there are many others. You can become a RAKtivist, share the free lesson plans with a teacher you know, try one of their 30 kindness ripple ideas today, and amplify their message on social media. Follow RAK on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or YouTube and share their stories of kindness with your network.

Happy World Kindness Day!

Feel Good Friday - Indian Land Tenure Foundation

Native American Heritage Month is off to a great start with recent elections of Deb Haaland as the nation's first Native American woman governor and Peggy Flanagan as the first Native American woman Senator. Let’s keep the good news rolling with a spotlight on Indian Land Tenure Foundation.

Founded in 2002 and based in Little Canada, Minnesota, Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF) “is a national, community-based organization serving American Indian nations and people in the recovery and control of their rightful homelands.” Their motto says it simply: Indian Lands in Indian Hands.

ILTF has a variety of programs that “promote education, increase cultural awareness, create economic opportunity, and reform the legal and administrative systems that prevent Indian people from owning and controlling reservation lands.”

Their Land Internship Program funds paid summer internships for high school students in tribal land offices, where they learn how land is managed and protected. The Indian Land Capital Company, a certified community development financial institution, finances tribal land purchases. The Beyond Land Acknowledgement Fund invites people to go a step past a statement and help tribal nations buy land back. Lessons of Our Land is a Pre-K through grade 12 curriculum that educators can bring into local schools. Their Native Youth GIS Project  taught 19 Native high school students to map their own histories and relationships to land, and they work to help reverse the effects of the Dawes Act, the federal law that broke up tribal lands.

The impact is significant. ILTF highlights the 2022 restoration of 28,089 acres to the Bois Forte Band, which they describe as the largest private land restoration project in U.S. and Indian Country history based on available data. This year they granted more than $180,000 to 18 tribal land offices for summer internships, and their first Native Land Conference in March drew 300 attendees. They are also partnering with the Brookings Institution and the American Indian College Fund on a Meriam Report centennial initiative planned for release in 2028.

Ready to help put Indian lands back into Indian hands? You can make a donation, find ways to take action, and follow ILTF on Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Happy Native American Heritage Month! 

Feel Good Friday - Fair Elections Center

With so much at stake in the 2026 midterms, and Election Day this Tuesday, November 3rd, I'm spotlighting another voting-related organization. Time to learn more about Fair Elections Center.

Founded in 2006 as the Fair Elections Legal Network and headquartered in Washington, D.C., Fair Elections Center is "a non-partisan organization dedicated to safeguarding the future of our democracy through innovative efforts focused on voting rights and civic engagement." Their vision is "a civic ecosystem where all people can easily and freely participate in our democracy and where this participation is actively supported and valued by our local communities, institutions and government."

Their work happens through three programs. The Voting Rights Project uncovers under-the-radar violations of the right to vote, sues to enforce federal and state law, and pushes for court orders that stop election officials from treating similar eligible voters differently. Campus Vote Project partners with colleges, faculty, students and election officials to reduce barriers to student voting, including through the Voter Friendly Campus designation. The Work Elections Project gathers poll worker requirements, pay rates and applications for thousands of jurisdictions in one place, making it easier to serve at the polls.

The reach is big. Campus Vote Project now includes more than 360 colleges and universities across 41 states, serving over 4.6 million students. In 2020 alone, Power the Polls, co-founded by Fair Elections Center, helped 700,000 people apply to be poll workers!

With Tuesday around the corner, their 2026 Election Survival Guide, which they update regularly, is a great place to start. It covers how to make a plan to vote, know your rights at the polls and make sure your mail-in ballot counts. Their state voter guides lay out the rules where you live.

The best way to support Fair Elections Center and the work they do is to vote. You can also make a donation, shop Campus Vote Project merchandise and/or sign up to be a poll worker. Don’t forget to amplify their message on social media. Follow Fair Elections Center on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn and share their election resources with your network.

Happy voting!