William – the boy who sees kindness unconditionally

April 26, 2019April 26, 2019 twhimsLeave a comment

It is our pleasure to introduce William to you as our Cape Kid for the month of April. William is a 4th grader at Lafayette Avenue School in Chatham, New Jersey, where he spreads kindness daily.

At only 9 years old, William exemplifies what is means to be BETTER THAN THAT™ – he stands up for what is right at all times. If William witnesses another being unkind, he will ask the other person to change his behavior and model kindness, without hesitation. Treating everyone fairly and kindly is incredibly important to William.

When William notices that someone is upset, he goes out of his way to cheer up that person with a smile and big hug. “Perhaps the best thing about William is the hug he gives to all he sees. He has a hug so tight that you can literally feel the love he has in his heart for others.” Says mom, Janet.

Spreading kindness is a mission for William. He enjoys reminding others of the importance of Random Acts of Kindness by leaving them notes, with a positive message. Those messages are attached to a friendship bracelet that he makes with love. Writing kindness poems and sharing with others is also a joy for William. One of his goals is to write a “kindness book” when he is older.

William is Autistic. During the month of April, which is National Autism Awareness Month, William and his family chose to “Light it Up Blue” to raise awareness for his disability. He also visited his Aunt Amy’s classroom, where he read the book I See Things Differently: A First Look at Autism to fourth and fifth graders in order to educate them about what life can be like for a child who is on the Autism Spectrum. William was not only very comfortable reading to groups of children he had never met before, but he read with such expression and confidence that he soon earned high praise from the students. William graciously and honestly answered all of their questions. The students left the classroom feeling more educated and better prepared, should they encounter someone who “sees things differently.”

In response to his visit, Aunt Amy replied, “This little boy with a big heart can be the example for many adults who need to remember to be kind to all and accept others as they are,”

Although Autism may cause William to see things differently than others, one thing he sees unconditionally is kindness. Thank you, William, for spreading kindness and making a difference in the world! We are very proud of you.

Ethan Pio Cape Kid of the month for March 2019

Ethan Pio Cape Kid of the Month for April 2019

March 29, 2019March 29, 2019 twhimsLeave a comment

It is an honor to present Ethan Pio as our Cape Kid of the month for March. Ethan graduated West Morris Mendham High School this past June and really showed his peers that it is cool to be kind.

For the past three years, Ethan has been a part of a club called Friends and Buddies at Mendham. This club works with special needs students at his school. Ethan has become good friends with all of the special needs students, however, he says “Casey has probably been the closest to me and has caught my eye the most.”

As Ethan’s senior prom was approaching, he knew he wanted to make a memorable prom for himself and his date. When he was thinking about who to ask, Ethan instantly thought of Casey for a couple of reasons. First of all, Casey made it a point to tell everyone in their school that Ethan and her were “boyfriend and girlfriend.” Another reason for him wanting to take Casey to prom was because he says, “she is honestly one of the most perfect people at Mendham. Despite her special needs, every girl should strive to be more like Casey.” Last but certainly not least, Ethan wanted to give Casey a memorable day to make her as happy as she makes others every day. She was certainly the most deserving girl he could have asked.

When it came to the promposal, Ethan went all out. On Casey’s birthday everyone sang to her in the lunchroom, but behind her a huge present was waiting for her. When Casey opened the gift, out popped Ethan with a sign asking her to prom. She said yes and they both had huge smiles on their faces. The promposal was elaborate, to say the least, because Ethan wanted to make every part of Casey’s prom so special.

The day of prom, Ethan recalls seeing the excitement on Casey’s face in school. At pre-prom pictures, Ethan says, “Casey smiled so big when we took pictures and she excitedly introduced me to her family. It was honestly the cutest thing ever for her to introduce me the way she did even though I had met her family countless times.”

On the way to prom, Casey, Ethan and their friends had a blast on the party bus. Once at prom, they danced the night away. The highlight of the night was when Ethan got a bunch of his friends to form a circle around Casey and she danced with a huge smile on her face. Ethan made sure Casey had the best night and one she can remember forever. Ethan admits, “the whole weekend Casey’s mom was spamming my phone because Casey was talking about prom so much. This prom was far better than last year and far better than anything I could have done that day.”

When asked how he would describe his relationship with Casey, Ethan says “she is always so positive, happy and unbelievably caring. She looks out for the well-being of her other classmates helping them to be safe and get them through their days. She is also hilarious and tries to make people laugh and be happy when there not having a good day. That is not something you see from the majority of high school students.”

On a daily basis, Ethan tries to BETTER THAN THAT™by not caring about the people who try to bring him down. He tries to be himself and help others whenever he can just like Casey does. Ethan believes it is important for people to reject drama and not get caught up in problems that come along with being a teen. Ethan admits, “I do not consider myself as kind, but I know I have done kind things.” He thinks kind actions are the right thing to do because everyone deserves to have a good day every day.

Through working with special needs students, Ethan lives his life by focusing on the good over the bad. He tries to be like Casey in the sense that he is always friendly and selflessly makes other people’s lives better. Ethan is a humble hero who continues to WEAR THE CAPE™ proudly. It is an honor for us to share his kindness story. Good Luck next year following your dreams of becoming a mechanical engineer at Purdue University.

Cape Kid of the Month – Mallory Aronne: The teen who left kindness as her legacy!

February 28, 2019February 28, 2019 twhimsLeave a comment

Mallory Aronne, an 8th-grader at Rumson Country Day School in Rumson, New Jersey, had a mission! She wanted to leave a legacy at her school, before graduating this May. She decided she wanted her legacy to be her kindness.

After mentioning the idea to her mother, Mallory rolled up her sleeves. She designed the mission, spoke with her head of school and service coordinator, and ironed out details until her vision became a reality. She then enlisted the help of teachers, parent coordinators, and the student council to launch her mission. These adults were so inspired by her heart that they held a special assembly for the students, which discussed spreading positivity.

*Mallory’s mission to spread kindness was not the first time she left a special mark in her school.*

Using the school’s four pillars – Kind, Honest, Responsible, Respectful – Mallory created and distributed a checklist of simple ways her schoolmates could spread kindness throughout the school over the course of a week. Several ideas included holding the door for others, saying, “thank you,” and visiting classrooms to play a special game or read a story. The week-long challenge ended with a bake sale, from which proceeds were donated to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s pediatric cardiac unit.

In addition to her kindness challenge, Mallory is involved in the school chorus and is excited about beginning cross-country and track in high school. She also takes vocal and keyboarding lessons outside of school, as well as kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu at a local gym. What’s more, she is presently working towards receiving her confirmation at church.

Mallory’s mission to spread kindness was not the first time she left a special mark in her school. When in 6^thgrade, Mallory courageously spoke during an assembly at Rumson Country Day School’s Upper School about her struggle with anxiety. She speaks openly and honestly about mental health issues and concerns, with her friends and adults.

Mallory shared, “As children/young adults, it can be hard to find ways to make a positive change in your community. In the end, it doesn’t matter if what you did is big or small. What matters is that you made an effort to impact someone’s day, and maybe even make it a bit brighter.”

Her mother Sarah Ahmadi proudly states, “I’m doubly impressed that she had the courage and drive to see this large-scale project through.”

It is amazing to see the great impact one person can make for so many. Mallory, you certainly did this at your school, as well as inspiring us at Wear the Cape. We are incredibly proud of you for acting on your idea and for spreading kindness.

If you have an amazing kid whom you would like to nominate for Wear the Cape’s Cape Kid of the Month, please email leighann@wearthecapekids.com.