Be More Kind By Don Tassie Illustrated by Ellen Hulse Permoda The simple act of a stranger opening the door at a mall entrance for Don Tassie prompted him to start a movement, "Be More Kind". When the stranger opened the door, Mr. Tassie responded "Thank you, that was kind." The stranger then replied, "The world needs more kindness". Thus the beginning of the "Be More Kind" movement headed by Mr. Tassie and a few volunteers was begun. Mr. Tassie had some bright yellow T-shirts printed up with "Be More Kind" and started wearing one around his hometown of Jackson Michigan. When strangers complimented him on his shirt, Mr. Tassie would offer them a T-shirt in exchange for a pledge to be more kind and a donation of $5.00. Mr. Tassie, with the help of Marian Hong, now has more than 800 members that belong to this movement. The member's only responsibility is to promise to make an effort to be more kind on a daily basis. In addition to wearing the shirt around town, Mr. Tassie and his volunteers arrange speaking engagements at local schools and put on an assembly talking about the art of kindness. Mr. "T", an established 79-year-old rapper, does an entertaining rap about kindness that entertains the students before getting down to the serious talk about putting kindness into action. The students are challenged to write and illustrate a story about when they were kind to someone or when someone was kind to them. Mr. "T" and his volunteers return a week later for the students to share their stories. The students then receive a T-shirt, which they all wear to school on a designated day each week. This book is a compilation of a few of the heartwarming stories that came from one of those assemblies. The stories are presented as written by the 2nd grade students. Some grammatical errors apply. Can the "Be More Kind" movement make a difference? If nothing else the shirts are a reminder for everyone to think about kindness. "It's about trying to create a culture of kindness", Don Tassie said. "About breaking down barriers and sharing our humanity. It's about Being More Kind, because it's something we all can do and it's The Right Thing to do!" To arrange a presentation or assembly please contact Don Tassie or Mr. "T" at [email protected] or http: //www.bemorekind.us