year-end | Wear The Cape Kids

Thanks to a gathering of heroes changing the world with kindness, tonight was filled with hope – the hope that one day our children will live in a world where bullying has no place. A hope that kindness, courage and respect will prevail. Over 100 heroes, both women and children, came together at kidkind foundation’s 5th annual holiday event, held in Warren, New Jersey, to continue the mission of restoring the power of kindness and heroic character.

The organization’s Founder Leigh Ann Errico thanked kidkind foundation’s supporters for helping to spread kindness and goodwill to all. Guests came laden with donations for our troops overseas, as well as gifts for orphaned children in Trenton.

Ms. Errico shared the good works and accomplishments of kidkind foundation throughout the past year, including the creation of a children’s picture book titled IT’S GOOD TO BE KINGD, by Lauren DuBois Rosemond. In addition to making the book widely available for purchase, kidkind foundation has donated IT’S GOOD TO BE KINGD, which teaches kids to STOP and THINK whether their choices will HELP or HURT, to Kindergarten classrooms in Bound Brook, Patterson, Trenton, and Camden, as part of its “1000 Books” donation pledge to underprivileged schools throughout the nation.

Ms. Errico also praised those who donated books in the name of kidkind foundation. Special mention was made of Ms. Vas Nair, who donated 20 copies of IT’S GOOD TO BE KINGD to The Newark Public Schools. IT’S GOOD TO BE KINGD can be purchased on Amazon.com or Wear the Cape’s website, where copies can also be donated.

Another infusion of hope, Ms. Errico revealed that kidkind foundation will spend 2018 creating a Hero Assembly for middle school students. This program comes on the heels of great success with the elementary level Hero Assembly that has already been presented to students in Bridgewater, East Brunswick, Fort Lee, Madison, Scotch Plains, Hazlet, and Garfield, most recently during the Week of Respect and Anti-Bullying Month 2017.

The night was even more magical thanks to kindness fortune-tellers who provided both young and old with Kindness Fortunes, which encouraged ways that guests could continue to be heroic in the future. Such fortunes included several taglines from Wear the Cape, including you’re “Better Than That™” – better than bullying – and “It’s Cool to Be Kind.”

Another highlight of the evening, as always, was the traditional cookie swap. Ladies brought three dozen cookies and left with an assortment of dozens more. Every cookie, made with love, is another message of hope – and how sweet it is!

For more information on how to donate to the kidkind foundation, bring a Hero Assembly to a school near you, and purchase or donate IT’S GOOD TO BE KINGD for a child in your life or for kids in need, please email leighann@wearthecapekids.com.

Stay strong in the mission, heroes! Thank you for changing the world, one person’s world at a time. ❤

“A great accomplishment shouldn’t be the end of the road, just the starting point for the next leap forward.” –Harvey Mackay

I find it rather fitting that I stumbled upon the above quote as I was reflecting on the work that’s been done via the kidkind foundation in 2015. Many of the projects on which we have been focused this past year are, in fact, foundational for kidkind’s “next leap forward.”

We’ve had a busy year at the kidkind foundation, and the fruits of our labor are now in sight. Setting our goals high, we tackled major projects that will truly move the needle on restoring the power of kindness and heroic character. Some 2015 highlights include:

School Assembly: A team of talented educators, in coordination with Wear the Cape character education expert Dr. Philip Brown, created a stellar anti-bullying assembly for elementary schools, which includes a video with Cape Kids and Junior Board Members displaying the strategies and skills needed to be BETTER THAN THAT™. For further information on how to bring the assembly to a school near you, starting in January 2016, contact me at leighann@wearthecape.com.
Children’s Book: Hard work during 2015 writing and illustrating our first children’s book will come to fruition in 2016, as we are now in the final stages of publishing. Expect a fun-filled story that engages young kids with magical details and vibrant illustrations to convey that it’s better to be a hero than a bully. We promise not to disappoint.
Holiday Fundraiser: Late last month, Wear the Cape brought together kids and adults for its third annual holiday event promoting kindness and giving to those in need. Over 20 Cape Kids volunteered their time to collect the thousands of dollars in supplies that were donated for American troops overseas and the hundreds of toys, such as Barbies and Legos, which warmed hearts at the NJ Children’s Shelter. The fundraiser also raised over $8,000 for kidkind to continue teaching children about the importance of doing good in 2016!
Raising Awareness: Wear the Cape’s resident character education expert Dr. Philip Brown produced valuable educational materials provided to parents for free to help them understand how best to raise Cape Kids of good character. Examples include:
New Gear that Spreads the Message: Due to popular demand, Wear the Cape has added new merchandise to our Hero Collection. Check out the Hero Hat (Winter Edition), Keepin’ It Kind Tee (Long Sleeve), and Powerful Pucker Lip Moisturizer in our shop!

I am so proud of all the Cape Kids who have helped further the mission of restoring the power of kindness and heroic character and am so grateful for the love and support of my dear friends and family, who give me the courage and grace to live each day a little kinder than the last.

Together, let’s strive to make 2016 even better than 2015!

Choose kind,
Leigh Ann