Our Mission

To improve the overall school and education environment in our communities by purposefully thanking teachers and

positively impacting students.

Remember Your Favorite Teachers?

What was it about them that placed them above all the rest in your memory? In your heart?

Was it the time they praised you when you felt uncertain?Took the extra time you needed to get over a hurdle?Spoke a kind word at just the right moment?

We can each recall moments in childhood when those kind acts by teachersmade life better, encouraged us, helped us continue on the journey.

For many kids, a teacher can be the greatest source of encouragement in theiryoung lives. Teachers are a necessary element of early development for every child...

And those teachers who give their all to lift up America’s childrenoften go unappreciated.

The Be Kind People Project™ was created to encourage kindness toward peoplejust like that special teacher you remember. And this booklet is our invitation toplay a part in this movement.

Read on and see what The Be Kind People Project is doing to thank teachersand foster kindness... and see how you can get involved!

The Story of The Be Kind People Project

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

- Mark Twain

kind·ness / ˈkīn(d)nis / Noun:1. An intentional gesture that actively extends good to others.

Without a doubt, kindness must be transformed into action for it to be felt. Andthat is the philosophy that birthed, and motivates, The Be Kind People Project.

We believe that one kind gesture becomes two. Two becomes four, four sixteenand on and on. This belief has been confirmed time and again as The Be KindPeople Project has communicated the message of gratitude and kindness inschools from Los Angeles to Kansas City, with our sights set on reaching acrossthe entire nation!

We • Thank teachers.

• Deliver school kindness programs.• Provide students with ways they can positivelyimpact their schools and community.

It is our intention to restore a spirit of gratitude and kindness in our nation towardthose who serve our communities. And it is our sincere belief that our goal ofreaching hundreds of thousands of teachers and millions of students with ourmessage of kindness will provide positive alternatives to unwanted school andpersonal behavior, often manifested through bullying.

But it will take resources. Won’t you play a part in moving us forward?

“You cannot do a kindness too soon,for you never know how soon it will be too late.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Be Kind People Project has been featured in...

USA Today The Arizona Republic & Phoenix TVThe Kansas City Star & K.C. TVThe Los Angeles Times & L.A. TV

Proud to be Sharing a Vision With:

To have the greatest impact and inroads into schools across America, The BeKind People Project has been working with a remarkable group known as TeachFor America®.

Founded in 1990, Teach For America recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding individuals of all academic disciplines to commit two years to teachin high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the movement to endeducational inequity.

Teach For America works in partnership with communities to expandeducational opportunity for children facing the challenges of poverty. Today morethan 9,000 corps members are teaching in 43 urban and rural regions acrossthe country, while nearly 24,000 alumni are working across sectors to ensurethat all children have access to an excellent education.

Impacting Millions Across America!

Everyday HeroesThese are actual stories from the corps of Teach For America. One read andyou will agree, they are truly Everyday Heroes.

Michael MetzgerMichael Metzger, a 2010 Phoenix corpsmember teaching math at Agua Fria High School, set a goal to encouragemore students at his school to take the ACT college admissions test. Prior to hisfirst year, only 58 of the school’s juniors and seniors took the exam. Afteradvertising to students through classroom presentations, posting fliers throughoutthe school and information on the school’s website, 94 students attended his firstSaturday morning session to prepare them for the ACT. In its first year, theprogram expanded from two to four sessions, impacting over 120 students.

Ryne CoseyRyne Cosey, a 2010 Kansas City corps member, uses data analysis to trackhis students’ achievements. The numbers so far are encouraging. His sixth- andseventh-grade math classes at Derrick Thomas Academy in Kansas City, wentfrom 50 percent mastery of math topics at the beginning of the year to Cosey’sgoal of 80 percent mastery at the end the year.

“Education is not the filling of a pail,but the lighting of a fire.”- William Butler Yeats

Show & Tell

The ActionWith the financial support of sponsors like you, thousandsof Classroom Kindness Kits, each with a thank you ofappreciation for the recipient teacher, will be assembledand delivered.

For TeachersWe honor teacher commitment to education excellence bydelivering Teacher Appreciation Gifts at no cost in ourselected markets for all teachers who teach in schools whereTeach For America teachers work.

The gifts include items that can be used throughout a busyteacher’s day, as well as heartfelt messages of thanks andappreciation for the fine job they do and their commitment to their students’ success.

These gifts are distributed to teachers four times during the school year. 4 September - Back to School

4 November - World Kindness Week

4 February - Kindness is Love in Action Month

4 May - National Teacher Appreciation Week

Goal for teacher gifts during 2012-13 school year 200,000Goal for teacher gifts during 2013-14 school year 500,000Goal for teacher gifts during 2014-15 school year 1,000,000

Over 22,000

teacher gifts

were delivered in

the 2011-2012

school year.

For StudentsWe nurture student success by providing constructive behavior reinforcementoptions that focus on student commitment. We offer positive alternatives tounwanted school behavior, such as bullying, that help students make decisions that

are considerate and respectful of others. With our character-focused Be Kind Pledge™, kids learn about using a kind andresponsible approach to their interactions with others.Supplemental classroom aids bring attention and commitmentto healthy relationships and initiate actions that students cantake to demonstrate acts of intentional kindness in schoolsand their communities.

Opportunities for contacts with students are made four times per school year, on the same schedule as the Teacher Appreciation Gifts, and follow themes for each delivery. Examples of items provided for students:

4 Be Kind Kid Pledge™ Card

4 Thank you cards for teachers

4 Appreciation cards for community support

(i.e. firemen, police, nurses, etc.)

4 Stickers for reinforcement

4 Removable Be Kind tattoos (very cool…)

Student contacts made in 2011-12 school year Over 600,000Goal for student contacts during 2012-13 school year Over 5,000,000Goal for student contacts during 2013-14 school year Over 11,000,000 Goal for student contacts during 2014-15 school year Over 24,000,000

*Note: each time a classroom delivery is made, it is considered a “contact” with a student.

The Be Kind Kid Pledge™We connect with students four times in a school year

with encouraging Be Kind programs.I pledge to

• Be Encouraging • Be Supportive • Be Positive • Be Helpful • Be Honest • Be Considerate

• Be Thankful • Be Responsible • Be Respectful • Be a Friend

For ClassroomsWe believe the reinforcement of positive character traits can be woven intoeveryday education strategies. We offer national student contests that focus on writing skills, creative expression, and community service.

Plans for the 2012-2013 school year include:

September Creative Expression ContestStudents are given the opportunity to submit visual or videorepresentations of what The Be Kind Pledge means to them by using skills in art, design, music, or dance.

November Essay Writing ContestStudents can submit original essays (in a format that supports national writing standards by grade) that express what The Be Kind Pledge means to them.

February Community Service ContestClassrooms may highlight how they unify their gestures of kindness to make a positive impact on others in their community.

Essay Contest

We had hundreds of entries in our first annual Essay Contest. They came fromall ages and included powerful stories of how kindness impacts classrooms,communities, home-life, friendships and the entire world. Below is a sample of a winning essay to inspire you to change your world with an act of kindness!

Richaad Winn, Grade 5, Pathway Academy

For SchoolsWe foster a commitment to the individual student’s connection to their schoolcommunity through participation in assemblies in select markets. The high energyassembly is unlike any other held at school!

It’s Cool 2 B Kind at SchoolTM

provides a program of current dance,music, spoken word, and interactionprofessionally presented by the BeKind CrewTM. Kids get excited aboutpublicly thanking their teachers,showing kindness and respect to eachother, and appreciating the positivequalities of others.

School assemblies presented in 2011-12 school year 21Goal for school assemblies during 2012-13 school year 114Goal for school assemblies during 2013-14 school year 250Goal for school assemblies during 2014-15 school year 450

Community InvolvementAn important component of The Be Kind People Project is involving localcommunities to support their schools and their teachers. We offer multipleopportunities for volunteers who have a passion for the education system to beinvolved with The Be Kind People Project.

Opportunities are presented to allage groups to do kind things forothers. We believe that a focus on extending good to others willhave a positive effect oncommunities and relationshipsbetween people overall.

“What wisdom can you find thatis greater than kindness?”- Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Nationwide Leadership to Recognize TeachersWe provide a model of action that can spark a movement in the USA for people to take initiative to acknowledge teachers.

Some of the ways we offer for everyone in the USA to participate are:

Thank a Teacher e-Card Service:Anyone can visit our website (www.TheBeKindPeopleProject.org) to send a freee-card to any teacher using their email address. The e-card allows for apersonal message to be attached.

Kind Teacher of the Week:Beginning in the 2012-13 school year, oneteacher per week will be highlighted, chosen fromnominations submitted through our website andother social media options. Anyone in the USAcan submit a teacher worthy of recognition.

Kind Student of the Week:Our country’s youth do great things! Through publicity and social media, teachers will be encouraged to reinforce kind actions done by students all over the country. The student will be given recognition via various social media outlets.

The Outcome

4 Teachers are appreciated.4 Students are inspired.4 Classrooms are mobilized.4 Schools are impacted.4 Communities benefit.

The impact of The Be Kind People Project is already being felt. We recently received this note from an 8th Grader in Phoenix:

Mrs. Bunker was especially influential

to me, not just because of the lessons

she taught about technology and the

use of computers, but because of the

message she tried to imprint in the

minds of her students, a message of

kindness. She taught me that one kind

word can impact a life forever, and that

everyone everywhere deserves to be

treated with kindness...She is one of the

reasons that I strive to always do my

personal best and spread kindness.

Without her lessons about life, I do not

know where I would be...— Amalia

You Can Be a Be Kind People Project Booster!

To make the vision of The Be Kind People Project a reality, we need yourparticipation and support. Now is the time to thank teachers in a tangible way!Join with other Be Kind People Project Boosters to bring this message ofgratitude to teachers and the message of kindness to their students and schools!

Booster Opportunities Thank the teachers in your city or throughout the country! The Be Kind PeopleProject offers sponsorship opportunities based on individual cities and the numberof classrooms receiving Classroom Kindness Kits. This allows you to tailor yoursponsorship marketing to the community you want to touch.

There are several levels of Booster Sponsorships:Teacher Sponsor • School SponsorMarket Sponsor • National Sponsor

• Contest Sponsor

A++

Here’s Where We’re Going...

Markets Targeted for 2012!• Los Angeles, CA • Sacramento, CA • Las Vegas, NV

• Tulsa and Oklahoma City,OK • Phoenix, AZ • Sioux Falls, SD• Kansas City, MO • New York City, NY • Washington D.C.• Philadelphia, PA • Baltimore, MD • East Newark, NJ

• Your City Could Be Here!

1,800 schools would receive Classroom Kindness Kits!Over 50,000 teachers who would be recognized, honored, and thanked!

Well over1,500,000 students in those schoolswould receive the Classroom Kindness Kits that Show Your Support

for kindness through company name and corporate identity!

Final plans are being made for markets included in The Be Kind People Project.You could influence those decisions with support and commitment to the project.

Here’s How You Can Join the Project.Since everything we do revolves around the teacher in our schools as the one tobe recognized and honored, here’s an example of how multiple companies ororganizations can choose to participate as a TEACHER Sponsor.

Sponsorship can be tailored to teachers in one or several of our selected marketsor designated for national support. It’s the ideal way to actively extend a gestureof kindness to teachers with something that they will use and will brighten theirday. The audience is targeted - and your message of support can be delivereddirectly to the teacher up to four times each school year.

Possibilities for a Teacher Sponsorship could include some (or all!) of the following:4 Your logo in the Classroom Kindness Kit4 The inclusion of a product sample for the teachers4 The addition of a coupon or business bounce-back insert for the teachers4 Your company information or services included as inserts for the teachers4 Inclusion four times a year or for a semester at a time

You could receive in return:4 A connection with the influential target group of teachers in an authentic way4 Logo inclusion as a sponsor on www.TheBeKindPeopleProject.org4 Link to your company website on www.TheBeKindPeopleProject.org4 Your logo inclusion on printed material 4 The opportunity to surprise and sponsor a school of your choice - anywhere

in the USA (thank a teacher who has made an impact for you or your child) 4 Recognition at various PR and media events

�

Do the MathWe want to work with you to impact schools and communities. It all depends onthe markets that are best for you and how many teachers will receive ClassroomKindness Kits in those markets. We’ll tailor something that will be just perfect forwhat you want to accomplish.

Kindness in our Schools Begins with YOU.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to be a part of The Be Kind People Project.Make a difference to teachers, to students, to schools, to your community, and to the future of our country.

If you are interested in getting involved and showing your support, we would loveto speak with you about your role. Give us a call at:480-905-8576. Or email us at: Info@TheBeKindPeopleProject.org

Deep Roots in the Classroom

The Be Kind People Project founder Marcia Meyer, and her sister/board chairMarlene Waltz, grew up in a family of teachers in rural Kansas.

Life revolved around the school year, all year long. Their dad was a collegeeconomics professor and coach. Grandma was a life-long grade school teacher,who was adored by her students. Great Aunt Dorothy lived next door and taughthigh school math and piano. Even Mom worked as an administrative assistant tothe college president. And the list of teachers who influenced and inspiredMarcia and Marlene could go on for pages. Marcia even taught high school andmiddle school Spanish for a few years after college graduation. �

Marcia and Marlene both pursued careers as successful business leaders incorporate America. Their experiences in education and with educators have hadan enduring impact on how they regard the influence that teachers have oncommunities and on the strength of the American people. Their appreciation forteachers has found a logical extension with The Be Kind People Project.

Teachers are heroes.Teachers are role models.Teachers shape lives!

And, perhaps most importantly, the teachers in Marcia’s and Marlene’s livestaught them to:

Actively extend good to othersMake a difference, one person at a time

Give back to the community

It’s time to extend good, make a difference, and give back.

It’s time for The Be Kind People Project.

“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind;the second is to be kind;

and the third is to be kind.”- Henry James

Ready for a Little Homework?

The sum of your life’s influences have led you to this place, to a positionwhere you could work with The Be Kind People Project to thank teachers andencourage kindness among their students. And in the life of most people, ateacher or teachers played significant roles in who we’ve become and what we’vebeen able to achieve.

The Teacher That Most Influenced My Life Is...

Who was your favorite teacher?

What was it about him or her that left a positive impression?

Is there anything that teacher SAID to you that you’ve held onto?

Is there anything your favorite teacher DID that touched your life?

Our Board of Directors

We are guided by a Board of Directors who each had a special teacher in life who helped mold them into contributors to communities in our nation.

Marcia MeyerMarcia Meyer is the founder of The Be Kind People Project. She is a retiredcorporate retail executive with major national retail chains, including Macy’s, theMay Company, and PETSMART. Marcia has applied her corporate skill setsto philanthropic and charitable efforts such as the Arizona Children’sAssociation, The Wellness Community, The Committee of 200, The NewDirections Institute for Infant Brain Development, and the Niki TaylorFoundation. Her favorite teacher was her high school band director, Bryce Luty.

Marlene WaltzMarlene is our Board Chair. Marlene currently leads the Solution Sales teamfor Sprint. Prior to Sprint, she was a long-time employee at IBM and atHallmark Cards. Marlene enjoys running, reading and hiking in the mountains.She is active in several charities and boards and lives in Kansas City. Herfavorite teacher was her high school English teacher, Jackie Raymond.

Barbara FitzgeraldBarbara has professional experience ranging from Sears, Toys “R” Us, HarmonAutoGlass to PetSmart. She retired from PetSmart and now serves on the boardof the Schwan Food Company and is Chair of the Board of Trustees of MariettaCollege. Her favorite teacher was her first grade teacher, Ms. Martin.

John FryJohn has been in an attorney at Ryley Carlock & Applewhite since graduatingmagna cum laude from the Arizona State University College of Law. Prior tojoining Ryley Carlock & Applewhite, John spent three years on the staff of U.S.Senator Jon Kyl, and remains an avid fan of all things political. His favoriteteacher was his 4th grade teacher, Phyllis Tucker.

Lisa JamesA partner at Gordon C. James Public Relations. Served as Deputy Chief ofStaff to Arizona Congressman John Shadegg. Currently she sits on the board ofBoys Team Charity, the Industrial Development Authority, and is President ofthe Dodie Londen Excellence in Public Service Series Board. Her favoriteteacher was Diane Eller, her high school history and government teacher.

Mindy MeadsMindy is known for her merchandising expertise and leadership building teamsthrough her experience at Victoria Secret Direct, Lands’ End, Sears,Gymboree, The Limited, RH Macy’s and finally as Co-CEO of Aeropostale.Mindy is a member of the Committee of 200, a director on the board of MelaSciences, a Trustee at The Masters in New York, and she sits on the Board ofGovernors of Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership. Her favorite teacher wasProfessor Trebilcock, who taught Merchandising at The University of Illinois.

Join the Project...www.TheBeKindPeopleProject.org

Doodle ArtistsLuke, 3rd Grader, Anasazi Elementary SchoolNoelle, 5th Grader, Anasazi Elementary SchoolMagy, 8th Grader, Cocopah Middle School

Amanda, 8th Grader, St. Theresa Catholic School

Contributions to The Be Kind People Project will be eligible as tax deductible charitable contributions.

© 2012 The Be Kind People Project, Scottsdale, Arizona.

Trademark brands, programs, designs also apply.

TheBeKindPeopleProject @BeKindPpl

kindThe Be Kind Pledge™

I pledge to• Be Encouraging• Be Supportive• Be Positive • Be Helpful• Be Honest• Be Considerate • Be Thankful• Be Responsible• Be Respectful• Be a Friend

“Never doubt that a small groupof thoughtful, committed citizens

can change the world; indeed,it’s the only thing that ever has.”

-Margaret Mead

10869 North Scottsdale Road, Suite 103/254 • Scottsdale, AZ 85254www.TheBeKindPeopleProject.org • 480 905-8576

© 2012, The Be Kind People Project