In 2020, Florida Gulf Coast University’s (FGCU) Roots of Compassion and Kindness (ROCK) Center launched the Kindfulness Grant to cultivate compassion among FGCU students. The program teaches key principles of kindness, empowering participants to incorporate these values into local classrooms. Activities include leading creative projects, such as painting rocks and planting gardens, as well as organizing readers’ theater and facilitating guided discussions— all designed to foster altruism and community engagement.

Now, five years later, the Kindfulness Grant is growing. It’s expanding beyond FGCU and is now being offered at the Quality Life Center of Southwest Florida Inc., following the same goals: to foster compassion, kindness, and empathy through hands-on community projects. QLC Executive Director Julian Ramirez shared the impact of this initiative:

“When you give someone, especially a young person, the resources to act on their ideas for kindness, you invest in more than a project, you plant seeds of leadership and hope. These micro grants will empower our youth and staff to transform simple acts of kindness into meaningful moments in the lives of others.”

The program offers grants typically under $1,000, with applications accepted year-round. For more details on applications, visit the Facebook page.

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