Founder

At the end of 2008, I had a “light bulb” moment, where I decided that I needed to add a bit more “goodness” into my life. So, I challenged myself to complete 365 Good Deeds in 365 Days in 2009.

Everyday for the year, I completed a daily act of goodness.  These ranged from fun and simple gestures (handing out wishing pennies, buying a stranger a cup of coffee) to grander projects such as volunteering in Latin America. Throughout this journey, I learned many valuable life lessons, including  that when it comes to making a positive change, “every little bit counts.” (My blog, 365DaysofGoodness.com chronicles my goodness journey of 2009.)

Along the way, it seemed as if I was inspiring others to do good as well. 365 Days of Goodness had collected more than 40,000 fans!  The idea of this kindness ripple helped inspire one of my most impactful missions during my year of goodness.

I was asked by a good friend to come and teach a “Good Deed Program” in her 2nd grade class. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to teach, but I knew that I had experience teaching elementary aged children, and that if I was able to find ways to do “good” everyday, then I could hopefully help inspire these 2nd graders with my “every little bit counts” mentality.

So, once a week for 20 weeks, I taught the “Good Deed Program” to Ms. Good’s (yes that was her name!) 2nd grade class. It was very clear that by just having the idea of goodness in their consciousness, these 2nd graders began to change. Each week we talked about ways we could all make a positive difference.  We incorporated some fun theater games (my background) and art, and the students were easily comprehending that they had the power to make a positive difference in our world, because “every little bit counts!” Before my eyes I saw the students transform into more kind and compassionate children.

Experiencing the positive impact of the “Good Deed Program” inspired me to think of ways to be able to offer goodness programs to other schools & classrooms around the city.  I decided to start a non-profit organization, where we would provide standards-based service-learning and character education programs to elementary schools, and thus Project Goodness was born!

Project Goodness was officially founded in 2010 and is currently a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization within the state of California. Project Goodness aims to show our children that they have the power to make a positive difference in our world, helps them tap into their innate goodness, and reminds them that “every little bit counts!”