A friend said something to me recently that I haven’t been able to shake: “Kindness is a radical act these days.” It made me sad. And then, almost simultaneously, it gave me hope because, if kindness feels radical, it means we still recognize it. We still crave it. We still have the capacity to choose it.
Not long after that conversation, I cracked open a fortune cookie that read: “Choose kindness, and you choose love.” I tucked it into my wallet. It felt like a confirmation of something I already knew to be true, something the SevenDays organization has been teaching for more than a decade.
For those unfamiliar, here is the origin story.
On April 13, 2014, a white supremacist drove to the Jewish Community Center and the Village Shalom senior living community in Overland Park, Kansas, and murdered three people: Dr. William Corporon, his 14-year-old grandson Reat Underwood, and Terri LaManno. Within hours of the tragedy, the victims’ families came together and made a decision: something good had to come from this. That conviction gave birth to SevenDays, whose mission is to overcome hate with kindness and understanding through education and dialogue.
Throughout the year, SevenDays engages young people through leadership opportunities and themed experiences designed to promote kindness in intentional ways. The organization’s themes include Love. Discover. Others. Connect. You. Go. Onward. These are not abstract concepts. They are invitations to act. Reach out to someone you care about. Learn about a culture or faith different from your own. Find “the other” in your community and, through conversation, become friends.
I am honored to serve as Board Chair of SevenDays, and I am thrilled to share that SevenDays 2026 is here. This year kicks off in a few weeks with LOVE Day, and our annual Ripples of Kindness Breakfast takes place on April 23. The breakfast has become a beloved community tradition, bringing together hundreds of Kansas Citians to celebrate kindness champions, award scholarships to extraordinary high school seniors, and recommit to the belief that kindness can change the world. All that said, SevenDays isn’t just for Kansas Citians – it’s for everyone and you can participate from wherever you are.
So, here is my invitation: join us. Attend the Kindness Breakfast. Organize and participate in your own kindness-focused activities. Or, simply commit to one intentional act of kindness each day. You are making a ripple.
We are not born to hate. Hate is taught. But KINDNESS can also be taught. That is what SevenDays does. We teach kindness. And if kindness truly is a radical act these days? Then let’s be radicals. Together.
Make a ripple. Change the world.
For more information and access to a number of educational resources, visit SevenDays.org and follow the organization at @GiveSevenDays on social media.
Happy Networking!