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WNY's Great Kids: Orchard Park Students Complete 10,000 Acts of Kindness

Daybreak is kicking off its "WNY's Great Kids" series by showcasing some elementary students from Orchard Park who just completed 10,000 acts of kindness.

ORCHARD PARK, NY- Daybreak is kicking off its "WNY's Great Kids" series by showcasing some elementary students from Orchard Park who just completed 10,000 acts of kindness.

More than 800 students from Eggert Elementary and South Davis Elementary gathered this week to celebrate completing a challenge- Rachel's Challenge.

"Rachel's Challenge was founded by the family of the first student killed at Columbine High School back in 1999. We share stories from her life and the way she treated people at school just as a way of encouraging compassion and kindness among students in school," said Chris Mowery, Rachel's Challenge program presenter.

So in honor of Columbine massacre victim Rachel School, each time a student completed an act of kindness, he or she received a paper link. The more good deeds, the more links, creating a chain reaction of kindness.

The goal was to create a chain of kindness spanning the nearly 2 miles between Eggert and South Davis Elementary Schools, which is nearly 9000 links. But these kids surpassed that and earned 10,668 links!

And this week both schools came together to hold that chain, celebrate their accomplishments, recognize good behavior, and remember that kindness matters.

"I believe we've changed the culture of the schools to focus on each other, to focus on kindness, and it's certainly made for a wonderful culture this year for both schools," said Christine Rassow, principal of South Davis Elementary.

You can learn more about Rachel's Challenge by clicking here.

If you know a young person who should be featured as one of "WNY's Great Kids" on Daybreak, email Melissa.Holmes@wgrz.com or call 716-849-2216.

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