Dignity Health is committed to providing high quality compassionate care to the patients it serves in our community through its six hospitals throughout the greater Sacramento region.
But did you know the health system is also committed to fostering a culture of kindness in local school children? Dignity Health partners with Kids for Peace to sponsor The Great Kindness Challenge, which aims to create a lifelong commitment to kindness in elementary, middle school and high school students. Every year in January, the nationwide bullying prevention initiative challenges students to complete at least 50 acts of kindness in one week from a checklist of suggestions, such as “smile at 25 people,” or “make a new friend.” Dignity Health also challenges employees to complete their own kindness checklist.
“At Dignity Health, we believe that kindness holds the power to help people lead happier, healthier lives,” said Sr. Bridget McCarthy, vice president of mission integration for the Greater Sacramento Service Area. “We are proud to support Kids for Peace and the Great Kindness Challenge to promote stronger human connection and kindness within more schools and communities.”
Here in the Sacramento region, Dignity Health physicians, nurses and staff members partner with local schools on acts of kindness, including writing get well cards to hand deliver to hospital patients and holding a teddy bear clinic where preschool children learn not to be afraid of the doctor. And the program inspires children to turn kind deeds, large and small, into unbreakable habits, a lesson that will last a lifetime.
