Hateful acts rock our world. The recent church shooting in White Settlement, Texas, and the machete deaths at a Hanukkah celebration in Monsey, New York, shattered the holiday season.
Hundreds of hate crimes were reported last year according to the FBI and the numbers continue climbing. Anti-Semitism has reached new highs and hate speak is more common than ever permeating social media and beyond.
They are all reminders of the hate crimes that took four innocent lives here in the Kansas City metropolitan area outside of Jewish facilities in Overland Park and an Olathe sports bar.
Faith Always Wins Foundation (FAW), a Kansas City-based nonprofit organization, is determined to make a difference through acts of kindness and interfaith dialogue. The organization’s three pillars are faith, kindness and healing and it is working to make a difference.
SevenDays® Make a Ripple, Change the World is the organization’s annual weeklong series of experiences demonstrating how hatred, bigotry and ignorance can be overcome by kindness and understanding each other.
SevenDays® 2020 will take place for the sixth year in the Greater Kansas City area Tuesday, April 21, through Monday, April 27.
SevenDays® 2020 continues the healing journey following the murders that took the lives of Dr. William Corporon, his grandson Reat Underwood and Teresa LaManno outside of Jewish facilities in April 2014. The three lost their lives at the hands of a convicted Neo-Nazi shooter.
Determined to turn tragedy into triumph, family members and friends joined together to create something positive to overcome this senseless hate crime.
Sponsored by Faith Always Wins in partnership with several organizations, SevenDays® provides opportunities encouraging all people to increase kindness through knowledge, mindset and behaviors.
“While our families will always remember, we are also healing and moving onward with passion,” said Mindy Corporon, Reat’s mother and Dr. Corporon’s daughter. “Our passion is to help others through their own personal tragedy, to explore another faith and to find commonalities with their neighbor or coworker through acts of kindness. We are all human,” Corporon said.
“The majority of us do not want violence, terrorism or even sarcastic remarks about our religion, so let’s continue the conversation. We want to enjoy the world in which we live and leave it in a better place. We can do this through understanding commonalities and SevenDays® provides the platform for this engagement.”
Jim LaManno, husband of Teresa LaManno, said SevenDays® is more important now than ever.
“We strive to make things better for all the other families who have lost loved ones to senseless violence. “We must remain steadfast and redouble our efforts to spread kindness and give joy and peace to all through SevenDays® and every day,” LaManno said.
SevenDays® is under the leadership of Mindy Corporon and Director Jill Andersen, who has been involved since the beginning. The SevenDays® Planning Committee, which includes several members of the Jewish community, consists of a diverse group of dedicated volunteers who work for months out on the annual event.
SevenDays® of Kindness
Everyone has the power to make a ripple and change the world — and that’s the focus of SevenDays®. Each of the SevenDays® has a special theme — Love, Discover, Others, Connect, You, Go, You and Onward — reflecting the overall spirit of the effort. Beginning with Tuesday, April 21 — Day One — the week kicks off with a special interfaith program and awards ceremony at St. James United Methodist Church. Other events include a diversity dinner at the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Kansas City, a weeklong blood drive in partnership with the Community Blood Center, an interfaith workshop and Ramadan Iftar at the Islamic Center of Johnson County and a day focused on self care in partnership with major sponsor AdventHealth. One 2020 highlight will be a conversation with Wes Hamilton, a gun violence survivor turned founder of Disabled But Not Really. In conversation with Mindy Corporon, Hamilton will share his story of healing, love and his newfound passion for helping those with disabilities. Hamilton, as seen on Season 4 of Netflix’s popular “Queer Eye” series, will recount the aftermath of a shooting that left him paralyzed and depressed, but which he faced head on to become the award-winning athlete and father he is today.
Each day of SevenDays® features special activities — everything from speakers and films to workshops and hands-on community service projects. Suggested kindness activities for the community are also available. The annual Kindness Walk will be held on Monday, April 27, at the National World War I Museum and Memorial. The walk will circle the grounds of the memorial before a celebratory conclusion. SevenDays® partners with 14 area charities showcasing the work they do to make Kansas City a kind community. Registration for the walk will be open at GiveSevenDays.org.
The entire community is invited to participate in SevenDays® events, both digitally and in person. Events will be held at various locations throughout the metropolitan area. The SevenDays® team of volunteers has created resources for educators, learners, business and organizations allowing for participation at each person's desired level of engagement. Materials are available on givesevendays.org and all ages are encouraged to participate.
Community groups and organizations are invited to create their own activities and share them through SevenDays® social media sites using #givesevendays and #betheripple. Information about the themes, activities and sponsored events will be continuously updated on the SevenDays® website, GiveSevenDays.org as well as the Facebook page @GiveSevenDays.
SevenDays® Buttons & kindness competitions
A signature of SevenDays® is its colorful, creative buttons with designs reflecting each day’s theme. For a number of years, a button-design contest took place inviting area high school students to submit their artwork for consideration. Designs from eight different students were chosen for the 2020 SevenDays® buttons, which are now in production. Each student will receive a $500 award for their artwork.
One act of kindness has the power to start a ripple and change the world. Applications are now available for high school seniors for the annual SevenDays® Make a Ripple, Change the World Scholarship competition. Seniors are encouraged to create a project of kindness addressing one or more of the SevenDays® themes, execute it and submit an essay about its impact. Five $1,000 scholarships will be awarded for higher education tuition. Full details can be found on the SevenDays® website. The submission deadline is March 18.
SevenDays® sponsorship opportunities are available and welcome for each themed day, activity, as well as for the decorative button distribution, scholarships and awards to the participating students.
Numerous volunteer opportunities are available for SevenDays®; those interested are urged to regularly check the website for details and registration. There are also opportunities for area businesses and organizations to become involved with SevenDays®.
SevenDays® Pre-events
Kindness is a form of art, and all of us our capable of it. Two pre-events will focus on the artistic side of kindness. Artwork from students who entered the button design competition — as well as the winning designs — will be part of the two-week SevenDays® Kindness Student Art Show at the Kansas City Public Library Plaza Branch. Students from across the metro will be represented in the display opening to the public Feb. 18. The library is producing a special bookmark to coincide with the show as well as creating a special section of books on the topics of kindness and interfaith.
“The Art of Kindness” Exhibit will take place at the Buttonwood Art Space, 3012 Main, Kansas City, Missouri, Feb. 3-April 23. This juried art show will feature works from artists in the region with a special First Fridays event from 6-9 p.m. March 6, 6-9 p.m. Proceeds from the sale of art will benefit the Faith Always Wins Foundation, which sponsors SevenDays®.
While most SevenDays® events are free of charge and open to the public, there is a participation fee for the Kindness Walk on April 15. The fee does include a commemorative T-shirt; other SevenDays®-themed items are also available through the website’s shop.
For more information about SevenDays®, contact Ruth Baum Bigus, (913) 707-7746 or at . Additional information is also available at www.GiveSevenDays.org.