Kindness Is Being Recognized This Week In Calaveras County

San Andreas CHP photo

Angels Camp, CA – Seeing a lot of people in Calaveras County wearing blue ribbons this week and wondering what they symbolize?

The Board of supervisors at its Tuesday meeting continued the tradition of proclaiming Calaveras County to be a “Kindness Zone.” Hundreds of light blue “pass it on” ribbons are being distributed throughout the county all week long, via local schools. More than 8,000 of the ribbons and 3 miles of tie-up blue ribbon to place on trees and poles have been distributed.

“Seeds of Kindness” began in 1994 by Jim and Judy Bergantz, then owners of Bergantz Nursery. It started with the premise that when people make a conscious effort to perform a kind act, ripples of kindness flow forth. When a ribbon-bearer sees an act of kindness, they then sign the ribbon and passes it on. Organizers say that the symbolic ribbons are a “visual reminder of the importance of fostering goodwill in our own community and in the world at large.”

The grassroots effort to promote random acts of kindness firmly took hold in 1995 when the Angels Camp City Council issued a proclamation and The City of Angels became the first designated “Kindness Zone” in the United States. The national “Random Acts of Kindness Day” is observed every February 17th. Click here for more details on the event.