Lakeview Elementary students receive books to celebrate Kindness

Lakeview Elementary students received 650 books to help celebrate World Kindness Day, and to encourage more reading among children.

The books, provided by Bradenton’s Kind Cotton, included “The Bad Seed,” a beautiful story of self love, perseverance, and kindness. Teachers throughout the school also led extension activities to reinforce the concept that kindness can truly make a difference in the world.

“Along with spreading kindness,our primary goal is to promote and encourage literacy, so to be able to provide these books to the students of Lakeview makes us really proud,” said Kaitlin Johnstone, co-founder of Kind Cotton and Kindergarten teacher at Lakeview Elementary.

Kind Cotton sells clothing and accessories designed to spread compassion, with every purchase helping to provide books to children in Sarasota county. The company also makes monthly trips to Alta Vista Elementary, another Sarasota-based school, where they read to children, do literacy-based activities with them, and give a book to each child to take home.

Lakeview staff has made kindness a school-wide initiative this year so the opportunity to partner with Kind Cotton again made perfect sense. Students and staff are often seen wearing their “Be Kind” t-shirts as they work to create a more empathetic and accepting environment for all.