University News

Universitywide Kinder Mondays Program Begins Fall 2018

August 22, 2018

Share |
Printer friendly version

MACOMB, IL – "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." -- Aesop

What started as a program created by two counselors from the Western Illinois University Counseling Center is now a Universitywide program that aims to bring a little more kindness into people's lives.

Amy Buwick, director of the University Counseling Center, and counselor Ana Diaz developed Kinder Mondays (KM) in Fall 2016 a way to add to the positive environment at the University and, at the same time, encourage others to "pay it forward." Buwick decided that beginning this fall, this initiative needed to be extended Universitywide.

"Ana and I started Kinder Mondays on a whim; it was an idea to contribute to the University environment and to encourage others to do the same," Buwick said. "There can be so much negativity and unkindness in the world. We need to do our part in making the world a kinder place."

#WIUKinderMondays kicked off Aug. 20 with Beu Health Center handing out water and campus maps. Each Monday, a different University office (or offices) will serve as a Kinder Monday "host." The hope, Buwick added, is that the kindness is paid forward.

"Kindness - no matter how small a gesture - typically has a ripple effect," she said. "We want kindness to ripple across Western and beyond."

Offices, organizations and departments interested in serving as Kinder Monday ambassadors can contact Buwick at (309) 298-2453 or AJ-Buwick to be added to the KM list.

Kinder Monday hosts for Fall 2018 include, to date:

Aug. 27 - University Counseling Center, first floor, Memorial Hall (freezer pops)
Sept. 10 - Casa Latina, Union Concourse, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Sept. 17 - Women's Center (Multicultural Center) (lemonade, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.)
Sept. 24 - Career Development Center, first floor, Memorial Hall (painting "kindness" rocks)
Oct. 1 - Campus Recreation, Student Recreation Center (coffee, 8-11 a.m.; tours, 1-3 p.m.; recipe cards)
Oct. 8 - Office of Public Safety (Mowbray Hall)
Oct. 15 - University Relations, Sherman Hall 302 (WIU stickers)
Oct. 22 - Office of Student Activities, University Union
Oct. 29 - Academic Success Coaches (location TBA)
Nov. 5 - Veterans Resource Center, Ward Street across from the Alumni House
Nov. 12 - Student Development, University Union
Nov. 26 - Human Resources, Sherman Hall 105
Dec. 10 - Council of Academic Advisers (location TBA) (hot chocolate and cookies)

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing