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Just a few months later, they group of business and community members are touching many aspects of the community, from the schools to businesses to community events, including the upcoming Joe Nuxhall Miracle League parade and the Fairfield Fantastic Race scavenger hunt.
“It changes people’s attitudes of where we live,” said Kenworthy. “We can be kind and loving anywhere. That’s the beauty of it. You take it with you.”
Heek Hake, of Fairfield, is a member of the committee and said being a part of the initiative was “a no-brainer.”
“I’ve lived in Fairfield for almost 40 years, and I am a big supporter of what goes on here,” she said.
By reminding people to “choose loving ways through kind words and kind gestures … I think it can change the community,” Hake said.
“I think we start with the children by teaching them to be kind to one another, respectful, include everyone,” she said. “It can make a big difference in everyone’s lives.”
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The Fairfield City School District’s character education work ties in well with the LoveWorks initiative, said Jason Hussel, principal of Fairfield’s South Elementary.
“It’s all about paying it forward and it’s about doing something nice for others,” said Hussel, who shares examples of kind acts every morning with students.
While there are behavior issues with some students, the good outweighs the negative and he hopes students will continue to “treat people the way you want to be treated and go out of your way to do something nice for someone.”
“I feel like we see it every single day just here with the culture of this building,” Hussel said.
The Fairfield Community Foundation became involved at the start of the initiative, including a nominal grant to assist their efforts.
Diane Ruder, the foundation’s executive director, said especially after this past contentious presidential election, communities need doses of kindness.
“We just need to have an opportunity for us to all reflect on the goodness of life,” she said. “It really doesn’t take much money to do this, it’s really an individual effort.”
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