Every time we do something to help our community grow more kind, resilient and welcoming, we SPARK Kindness. Together as families, schools, organizations, businesses, coaches, artists, faith and community leaders, we can make sure no one feels alone, bullied, unsupported or unconnected every day, and especially in challenging times.
Boston 2023 - A Marathon of Kindness!
SPARK Kindness is thrilled to have a charity runner - Michele Grieves - making the 26.2 mile journey from Hopkinton to Boston to support kindness and community! We are so excited to cheer for Michele, every step of the way!
Won’t you join us with a gift today to support Michele's marathon of kindness -- Thank you!
More about SPARK!
Launched to counter cyberbullying in 2010, SPARK Kindness has grown into a nonprofit convener, educator, resource, and friend—and the biggest fan of our community's shared strengths. SPARK Kindness hosts speakers, parenting groups, community activities, and supports whenever needed. All SPARK programs and resources are FREE thanks to dedicated volunteers, donors, business and philanthropic sponsors, and friends.
Our Approach: SPARK Kindness is unique because it addresses serious issues affecting families and the community as a whole, such as bullying, mental health, social and emotional development, substance use and inclusion, with a unifying, grassroots approach that promotes dignity and respect for all. Our approach is:
--Proactive: We cannot wait until there are tragedies relating to bullying or intolerance before we take a stand for a respectful community.
--Strengths Based: Starting with “what works” makes us stronger. Before we address the difficult problems facing families and communities, we need to get in touch with our strengths, which, in turn, empower us.
--Community Based: We can face any problem if we do so together, collaborate and pool our resources and talents.
Our Programming: SPARK is focused on offering free programs and resources to parents, caregivers, youth and community members that support connection, resilience and a more respectful community. Through access to these free programs and resources, SPARK promotes factors/behaviors that make a community strong, including: emotional resilience, compassion/kindness, antiracism, equity and inclusion. Further, our work addresses those factors/behaviors (in a proactive manner) that can harm individuals and community, including: bullying, racism, discrimination, mental illness and substance use disorder.
The Resilient Community Speaker Series is a free, year-round speaker series that offers proactive support, while responding to the needs of the community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, SPARK's programming shifted to an entirely virtual platform, and expanded to meet the emerging needs of individuals, parents and caregivers, with a focus on community resilience, emotional health and wellbeing, inclusion and addressing racism. All SPARK programs are offered in American Sign Language (ASL), and we are expanding accessibility through additional multilingual (Spanish and Portuguese) programming.
SPARK also offers small group parent/caregiver programming to provide additional supports and connection; carefully curated online resources; active, ongoing community building with local and regional mission-aligned organizations, with the goal of promoting a web of support for individuals and families; and leadership coaching with communities and organizations to build a grassroots network that promotes kindness and resilience, and address harmful behaviors such as bullying, discrimination and substance use.
We invite you to join us in Natick, MetroWest Boston, and a growing network of communities to SPARK even more kindness in 2023, and beyond! You can visit www.SPARKKindness.org for more information about upcoming programs and resources.
