We recently caught up with Jill McManigal, co-founder of Kids for Peace, and got the scoop on how the Carlsbad Charitable Foundation (CCF) is fueling its mission. Our grant has catapulted the Great Kindness Challenge from a local initiative to a global movement, now in 115 countries and over 45,000 schools.
Jill talked about the grant’s impact. “This grant from CCF has been instrumental,” she said. “It’s given us the resources to reach every Carlsbad Public School with the Great Kindness Challenge.” The project, starting with just three schools, has grown to engage 21 million students worldwide.
The grant has also enabled a large community event on January 20th, highlighting a “Kindness Matters” art installation along I-5 – a symbol of unity and Carlsbad’s commitment to kindness.
The challenge, according to Jill, is about more than acts of kindness; it’s about fostering connection, unity, compassion, and empathy. “We make it very turnkey for all the schools,” she noted, emphasizing the program’s simplicity and effectiveness in creating positive environments for students.
Kids for Peace’s reach extends beyond schools. The Kindness Certified Company program involves businesses in their mission, with over 100 companies already on board, committed to good practices towards people and the planet.
Jill credits CCF for allowing Kids’ For Peace to focus on its core mission. “This support lets us do what we do best: serve our youth,” she stated. The grant from CCF, the first received by Kids for Peace, has been a foundational support since the beginning.
In conclusion, Jill emphasized the importance of community support in their work. “We can’t do it alone,” she remarked. The CCF’s contributions have been vital in helping Kids for Peace touch more lives and create a global impact of kindness, compassion, and respect.
We can’t do it alone. We all need each other. Their support propels the work that we do. When we’re able to relax and do what we do best, which is serve our youth, everything gets multiplied and amplified. And so having their support allows us to touch more lives and allows us to unite more people.
Jill McManigal
Executive Director, Kids for Peace