You may see positive and inspiring messages like “You are enough” and “Be Kind” painted on waiting room windows or on rocks outside on the ground at our sites.
Niagara Health team members are painting the uplifting messages as part of our 1,000 Acts of Kindness Workplace Challenge.The idea for the Acts of Kindness challenge was originally generated by our Information and Communications Technology team in February 2017, after the launch of our workplace Be Kind Campaign on Pink Shirt Day, a day when people wear a pink, blue or purple shirt to symbolize a stand against bullying.
Members of the team were looking for a way to support the Extraordinary Care Area of Focus of Niagara Health’s Strategic Plan, given they do not provide direct patient care.
The department came up with the idea of performing 1,000 acts of kindness to encourage our culture of kindness. The grassroots initiative grew from there.
Other departments quickly jumped on board, volunteering to participate in the Acts of Kindness Challenge.
During the challenge, our teams have joined the global Kindness Rocks movement by painting inspiring messages on rocks, donated school supplies, hats, mittens and boots to children in need within the community and purchased newborn sleepers and blankets for infants who are born into the care of Family and Children’s Services.
So far, 10 departments have participated in the challenge, completing more than 10,000 acts of kindness.
“That’s more than the equivalent of one act of kindness for every employee at Niagara Health, working together for the best possible healthcare,” said Flo Paladino, Executive Vice-President, People, Organization and Development. “We know that kindness has a ripple effect. Imagine the impact.”
