Although I have only been in Pittsburgh for two years, I have come to identify with and take pride in being a Pittsburgher. When I first arrived in Pittsburgh, I was overwhelmed by the sense of community and openness as a new resident and college student.

I am a Master’s in Social Work student at the University of Pittsburgh, specializing in Community Organizing and Social Action (COSA). With a passion for bringing communities together and empowering individuals to become UPstanders, I took on the role as an intern at the JCC with the Center for Loving Kindness.

My idea of community and connectedness rests on the examples I have witnessed around me at the JCC; we are a community center that consistently supports and nurtures the notion that neighbor is a moral concept and not just a geographic term.

With our mission in mind, the Center for Loving Kindness team crafted our first World Kindness Day event in November. With the help of Whole Foods Market, 412 Food Rescue and volunteers from all over the community, we rallied together to carry out an act of kindness; making bagged lunches with personal notes inside made by children in our Early Childhood Department Center. Given that this work is paramount, it is no question that it embodies the goals that the Center for Loving Kindness seeks to accomplish and the values that we work to uphold.

As an aspiring community organizer, I witnessed the excitement and enthusiasm of volunteers and partnering organizations from all over the community who came together to be UPstanders.

We hope you’ll join us in February for Random Acts of Kindness Day on Monday, February 17.  As we plan for what the day will entail, we hope to bring together allies from the community to assist us in carrying out our mission.

Learn more about the JCC’s Center for Loving Kindness