Choosing Kindness Foundation

Public SafetyRelaunched the Public Safety Program and enrolled approximately 400 incarcerated persons over the course of the year in mindful kindness and personal development correspondence courses for adults, using the CKF book How Love Wins.Almost 100 individuals have completed the INSIGHT Program that guides inmates to prepare for their parole board hearing by developing insight into their prior behaviors that resulted in lifestyle choices which led to their incarceration.Developed a Facilitators Guide for the Mindful Kindness Program to train AMLs to conduct inmate-led groups.Developed the Cultures of Collaboration Model including a Peer Mentor Training Program, course readings, and assignments.Piloted the Cultures of Collaboration Model in Chuckawalla Correctional Institute.Developed an additional correspondence course on Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention and all corresponding course materials, readings, and facilitators manual.Developed a Facilitators Guide for the Mindful Kindness Program to train AMLs to conduct inmate led groups.

SCHOOLS: Funded Everybody Belongs kindness projects in the Ohio Schools for the Deaf and Blind, Richmond County Schools in Augusta, GA, and Arlington Independent School District, TX (10 schools). Funded 26 new schools to implement PBIS School Kindness projects during the schoolyear Funded continuation grants for 38 Schools in 14 states to implement PBIS School Kindness projects during the current school year engaging 28,000 students in continuing kindness projects.Developed and field-tested two program editions for teaching mindful kindness to elementary and middle school students in Tier 2 interventions.

Social Services:Funded 5 community-based projects reaching over 1800 disadvantaged youth who were predominately Black, Hispanic, Native American, and other peoples of color. In each of these projects the average participant had experienced a high number of AdverseChildhood Experiences (ACEs) that place them in the at-risk or highly at-risk category.Continued funding of BreakThrough Miami Kindness Project (Yr 3 of a 5 Yr grant). Program expanded to 2 additional campuses and served 1600 students in Saturday Programs and Summer School.LH students reported a decline in the frequency of their negative mental thoughts, such as:oI am often upset because of something that happened unexpectedly.oI feel unable to control the important things in my life?oI often feel nervous or stressed.oI often cannot cope with all of the things I had to do.oI am often angry over what has happened that was outside of my control.oI often feel difficulties are increasing so much that I cannot overcome them.Projects were located in Bradenton (Rowlett Middle Academy, Manatee County), Lakeland (Polk County), Winter Haven, and Miami (Dade County).Field-tested Stepping Stones Program at Rowlett Middle School, Manatee County Schools.Two after-school enrichment projects in Title 1 Middle Schools served students in Lakeland and Winter Haven.oFunded Tier-2 projects with Denison Middle School (Title 1 School, Polk Co) with the Miami Non-Stop Dance group in inner-city Miami.o90% of the students served were students of color.