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Nonprofit launches initiative to transform Cleveland into 'Kindland'

John Legend will help kick off acts off kindness campaign
Cleveland is Kindland.jpg
Posted at 4:40 PM, Sep 09, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-09 18:31:26-04

CLEVELAND — At a time when so many of us are feeling heavy, one local non-profit is encouraging us all to celebrate the good things going on in our community and be a part of the momentum.

"Life is not the way that it ought to be and that translates into negativity," said Stuart Muszynski.

Thursday, the Values-in-Action Foundation will kick off a new campaign to transform Cleveland into Kindland.

The movement is meant to counterbalance the mounting negativity so many are feeling right now.

“You do an act of kindness, immediately your brain chemistry is changing," said Muszynski.

Muszynski said the goal of the initiative is to inspire and make Cleveland the kindest community in the country.

“The antidote to negativity is kindness. It takes five positive impressions to negate one negative impression," said Muszynski. "We want everybody to be able to spread their acts of kindness and report acts of kindness that they see."

Values-in-Action hopes to log 1 million of them by the end of 2021.

“We actually have 10 things that Clevelanders can do to become citizens of Kindland," said Muszynski.

Northeast Ohioans can help them keep tabs by logging onto Kindland.us to take a pledge to spread positivity. That's where citizens of Kindland can document acts of kindness, as well as on social media using #Kindland.

“Here’s how you can reach out to your neighbors, here’s how you can do something at the food bank," said Muszynski. “It impacts three other people, and then those three other people are paying it forward."

During a virtual event Thursday, singer, songwriter and Ohio native John Legend will dedicate his latest music video to Kindland.

You can watch that Celebration of Goodness beginning at noon by logging on to viafdn.org.

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