SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The world can always use a little more positivity, and students are making sure of it at one local university all week long.
Words that make you smile are plastered all over Marywood University’s campus in Scranton.
The kind words are all part of the school’s annual ‘Kindness Week.’ thanks to this group of good-hearted students.
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“Everyone is so much happier this week. I think that we need a lot more positivity and kindness in the world and I’m so glad to be able to participate in something that promotes such a positive message,” says Alaina Sokolowski.
In its third year, the event was started by twins Maddie and Liz Adams after a professor heard about their podcast called, ‘Courageously Kind’ and encouraged them to bring it to life.
“We started the podcast when we were high school seniors and we never thought that we would take it to college. We never thought that it would kind of blossom into this tangible, physical thing,” says Liz.
This week is strategically planned as finals are coming up. So it's aimed to help students with the stress of studying this time of year.
All the sticky notes hanging in the learning commons are from years prior, so now the hundreds of ones written this week will then be saved for future events.
Spread throughout buildings here on campus. It’s also stretched beyond into the community walls like this one can be found at local businesses like Zummos and Northern Lights Cafe.
Growing every year they also partnered with ‘Broadway in Scranton’ for people to take the kindness pledge.
“At all those local businesses, there are QR codes. If you go, you can scan that and be entered into a raffle to win two free tickets to ‘Mean Girls,’” says Sabrina Endriss.
Between sticky notes and spreading joy in other daily activities - this group wants to remind everyone of the warmth that comes from being kind.
“I think that honestly, most people are good and kind people, we just get caught up in our busy schedules in our daily lives and forget to show the people around us that we care about them,” says Maddie.
Though Maddie and Liz are seniors this year the committee plans to keep the kindness week as an annual event at Marywood.
