'Kindness is infectious': Volunteers pay it forward on day of conscious kindness
United Way volunteers hand out treats to morning commuters as part of 3rd annual event
Volunteers with the United Way handed out goodies to morning commuters Wednesday in Winnipeg as part of Conscious Kindness Day.
Winnipeg drivers were treated to free coffee and snacks outside the United Way office on Main Street before 9:30 a.m.
Kingsley Bowles, chair of the Conscious Kindness committee in Winnipeg, said the energy in the air was incredible.
"You do this because kindness is infectious," he said. "If you can put a smile on somebody's face, that smile is going to end up on your face as well.
"It's about purposefully building our community. We know the kind of city, the kind of province that we want to live in and if we're purposeful about it, we can do that. It's like our licence plates — they say 'Friendly Manitoba.' This is about living up to our licence plate."
The Manitoba government has branded May 7 to May 13 Kindness Week in support of the initiative.
"Knowing kindness and compassion are essential parts of a strong and healthy community, we thought it fitting to dedicate this week for Manitobans to recognize and celebrate the transformative effect of everyday kindness," Manitoba Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen said in a statement.
