www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, November 12, 2015 | 16 Remembering to show kindness should ring a bell by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff Kindness is all around if you look carefully. Approximately 500 Be Kind Bells will be hidden throughout the Oakville community next week to inspire everyone to pause and take a moment in their day to spread a little kindness. The hand-made chimes were sculpted from clay by the YMCA Peace Week committee and program participants. They were kilnfired and assembled by Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School's Peace & Justice Group and then decorated by children in the YMCA's before-and after-school programs. It's all part of YMCA Peace Week, Nov. 1421. Residents are encouraged to keep an eye out for the bells, which will be distributed to participants of the Walk for Peace at Peter Gilgan Family YMCA on Rebecca Street More than 20 students from Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School's Social Justice League assembled 500 Be Kind bells for YMCA Peace Week. The bells will be distributed to participants of the Walk for Peace and will be hidden in the community as a reminder to spread kindness. Here, Grade 10 students Marica Pinnock, 15, Mikayla Rinaldi, 15, and Brianna Mele, 15, hold up finished bells. | photo by Justin Greaves Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) SEXUAL ASSAULT & VIOLENCE INTERVENTION SERVICES (SAVIS) OF HALTON · Free anti-violence presentations to businesses/associations/schools · Free confidential counselling · Free 24-hour support line - anyone may call: 905.875.1555 If you are interested in joining our Board of Directors please contact Ruth Perkins at boardofdirectors@savisofhalton.org 905.825.3622 · Toll free: 877.268.8416 · www.savisofhalton.org Monday, Nov. 16. If you find one, you're encouraged to share where you found it over social media. You can then keep it or hide it for someone else to discover. Use the hashtags #BeKindBell and #YMCAPeaceWeek. Katherine Dziedzic, a community initiatives team leader with the YMCA of Oakville, who made some bells this year and last year when the Be Kind Bells program was created, said it's an uplifting initiative that engages the whole community. "It's an anonymous way to remember and just a quick reminder to be kind," said Dziedzic, who is serving her second year on the YMCA Peace Week committee. The bells were inspired by a Ben's Bell that Brenda Ridgway, the Oakville YMCA marketing and communications manager, found in Tucson, Ariz. Ben's Bells are randomly hung throughout the Tucson community for people to find and take home as a reminder to practice intentional kindness. Dziedzic said the bells initiative is among numerous interactive activities planned for Peace Week in Oakville. She said she's hoping residents will take the time to participate in some of the inspirational events. "Our community is filled with people who are very different and I think it's important to recognize those differences, but also to recognize the fact that if we weren't so different, the world would not be as exciting and as interesting a place," Dziedzic told the Beaver. "It's super important to recognize those differences, appreciate and accept them, and be kind to each other." see YMCA on p.20 YMCA Candlelight Walk for Peace Monday, November 16 Join Books with no Bounds and bring a donation of new school supplies for First Nations youth PLUS get a #BeKindBell and discover #30Seconds4Peace! Full donation list and details at ymcaofoakville.org November 14-21, 2015 A week-long celebration of peace and those who commit to making it happen. Donate new school supplies! Build community. Act for peace. ymcaofoakville.org YMCA Community Breakfast for Peace Thursday, November 19 A celebration of 2015 YMCA Peace Medallion recipients plus keynote speaker Zak Ebrahim! Tickets at www.ymcaofoakville.org Tickets on sale! $25/person