A Class of Superheroes

May 24, 2016May 24, 2016 twhimsLeave a comment

by Mrs. Carthans’ Second Grade Class

My students were so pleased and proud to share how they had shown kindness to others. — From that moment, I knew that showing kindness at school, at home, and in our community would be our “Superhero Mission.”

In the Fall of 2015, I embarked on teaching my second graders the value of kindness. As I searched for motivational ways to inspire their hearts and minds, I stumbled across a video about Leigh Ann Errico and her foundation. As I shared the video with my students, I watched their eyes light up as they embraced the connection between kindness and superheroes.

, I reached out to parents and requested that my students complete "acts of kindness" at home or in the community. — I reached out to parents and requested that my students complete “acts of kindness” at home or in the community.

From that moment, I knew that showing kindness at school, at home, and in our community would be our “Superhero Mission.” Therefore, I reached out to parents and requested that my students complete “acts of kindness” at home or in the community. My students were so pleased and proud to share how they had shown kindness to others. This inspired me to visit wearthecapekids.com to purchase superhero capes and other products to foster kindness in my classroom. My students and I were delighted when our special delivery arrived! The capes were hand-wrapped with care. In addition, we received a few extra Wear the Cape surprises with our purchases. My students were so appreciative and inspired to wear the capes.

This inspired me to visit wearthecapeforkids.com to purchase superhero capes and other products to foster kindness in my classroom. My students and I were delighted when our special delivery arrived! — As we became experts at showing kindness, our class chose to rotate a “super-boy” and “super-girl” of the day to wear the capes.

Initially, my students nominated peers who demonstrated acts of kindness to wear the capes each day. However, as we became experts at showing kindness, our class chose to rotate a “super-boy” and “super-girl” of the day to wear the capes. Superheroes searched for acts of kindness throughout each school day. By the end of the day, superheroes looked forward to writing and posting an act of kindness which they observed during the day.

After receiving and using our Wear the Cape products, my students and I decided to write, revise, edit, and publish a thank you email to the founder, Leigh Ann Errico, on the Wear the Cape “Connect with Us” website page. My superheroes couldn’t have been prouder that we did it as a class. Thus, they were so excited when we received a response from the Wear the Cape foundation. Thank you for making my students feel like “real” superheroes!

Student Acts of Kindness Wall — Our Acts of Kindness Wall

In the words of my second grade superheroes…
“Wearing the cape is an honor. You have lots of glory wearing it.”
“When I wear the cape, it helps me be kind. We can save the world with kindness.”
“Kindness is a big responsibility. I know that. Please be kind to others. You have to stop, think,
help, or hurt. Stop, you are better than that!”
“You can show kindness whoever you are. It doesn’t matter what your skin color is or if you are 50 or 21. You can still be kind!”
“When you wear the cape you feel good. You can be a hero wearing the cape.”
“We need kindness! I think that Wear the Cape can help hundreds of kids be kind. The things that they sell can make a difference in our world. Everybody needs kindness in their lives.”

What made the inaugural 5K race for kidkind a success?

May 6, 2014July 19, 2014 Leigh Ann ErricoLeave a comment

The inaugural 5K race for kidkind held this past Saturday was an all-around success, filled with big smiles and big hearts. When runners, volunteers and families arrived at the Warren, NJ Municipal fields, they were greeted by one of the first beautiful days of spring after a grueling New Jersey winter. It was the perfect setting as we joined together to raise money for kids in need while showing the kids we love the power of kindness and character.

The mud on the trails did not stop the 117 runners who came out to support the kidkind foundation, Teens Connecting with Teens and the Warren Recreation Commission’s Summer Camp Scholarship Fund. Thanks to the generosity of sponsors and participants, the event raised over $10,000, meeting our goal! We’d like to thank Gotta Dance for not only being the race for kidkind’s lead sponsor, but also for delivering one of the day’s highlights: dedicated dancers with inspiring routines.

Beyond monetary donations, a big predictor of good character is the giving of ourselves in support of our communities, as we all know. We were so fortunate to have about 50 heroic volunteers who were so generous with their efforts, committed to the success of the fundraiser. The Contender Cheer team was also so giving of their time and talents, posting up at the race’s finish line to encourage runners as they sweated to earn the last mile. This amazing group of young ladies has been supportive of Wear the Cape and the kidkind foundation since our launch last fall, and we are so grateful to them for their unrelenting championing of our mission.

As a whole, the event embodied what Wear the Cape is all about: bringing out the best in others, bringing to light the positive in our world, and bringing about a change in our society.

The outpouring of support from local businesses, volunteers, and the town of Warren was not just a means to an end, but an exercise of camaraderie that strengthened our community, reminding us all that we’re in this together and together we can make a BIG impact.

Recognizing Cape Kid Sami Saunders and highlighting the passion of Cape Kid Olivia Perlmutter, founder of Teens Connecting with Teens, has not only helped balance out all the negative news we hear involving our youth, but these young ladies’ stories have served to inspire others to also be courageous, to find ways to help those in need, and to be Better Than That—above bad choices that hurt themselves and others.

Lastly, little ones seeing these role models and the grown-ups they look up to elevating kindness and virtue as cool and worthy of respect helped spark change in kids’ perspectives and, it is our hope, the way they interact with the world.

Many commented that optimism and goodwill radiated throughout the day at the 5K race for kidkind and Family Festival – we agree, so MISSION ACCOMPLISHED…with the help of all of you!

Choose kind,
Leigh Ann

The Cape Effect…what’s that?

March 14, 2014 Leigh Ann ErricoLeave a comment

Cape Effect
/kāp/ /iˈfekt/
noun

1. The immediate reaction of a child when given a cape to wear. Usually involves wide eyes and open mouth, in addition to one or more of the following: squealing with delight, jumping for joy, frolicking around the house, superhero voguing, and surprisingly good behavior.

You know what’s really cool? When your kids EXCEED your expectations. You hope your messages to your teenage daughter about being inclusive of her peers have sunk in…and then you find out she’s gone out of her way to make sure others don’t feel left out or lonely. You’ve tried to encourage your little guy to stand up for someone being bullied…and then he does, with confidence and tact.

We at Wear the Cape and the kidkind foundation believe we’ve found the secret sauce to this recipe. It’s what we call the “Cape Effect.”

Time and again, we’ve seen and heard that kids are motivated to earn the right to Wear the Cape – whether tied around their neck or imprinted on their shirt – by doing the right thing. Explain to them what it looks like to be a “hero” and give a kid that name, and he or she will work to live up to it. They get it, even at a young age.

To facilitate communication with tykes to teens, every Wear the Cape product includes a Hero Tag that tees up a teachable moment. Various real-life scenarios are presented that challenge kids to think through the right choices to be made in each situation. Try it. Talk with your kids about what it REALLY means in practice to be heroic, and watch great stories come back to you about your Cape Kid in action!

I still remember when the first box of prototype shirts arrived at our house last summer. The kids I gave them to went wild with excitement about the idea of a cape being on their backs – symbolic, for all to see. And what followed the initial excitement was the best part: They began acting like heroes.

The video below paints this picture with two little boys who will undoubtedly put a smile on your face. After receiving Wear the Cape tees, they spend a few moments processing the idea of being able to wear a cape on their backs (like they’ve seen heroes do in movies, books and on TV), and then they start “flying” around the house. Think of being given a cape like being knighted.

Also interesting to note: these handsome little men have a super cool mama, too. Her name is Chara, and she and her colleague Jodi just finished a book you’ll love called You Are. The fundamental premise of the book is that when people really know WHO THEY ARE, WHAT THEY HAVE, and WHAT THEY CAN DO, they are naturally inspired to uplift, encourage and help, rather than put down, criticize or harm. We could not agree with you ladies more!

So, hey folks – give a cape, and watch the magic; keep it in mind to give Wear the Cape products as gifts for birthdays, holidays, and just to celebrate achievements (check out our Shop page here for lots of great ideas). We so appreciate the support – it’s how we’ll be able to keep on chuggin’ – and you’re turning kids’ dreams of being heroes into reality.

Building heroes, a kid at a time – that’s Wear the Cape and YOU.

Choose kind,
Leigh Ann