Northern District President's Project

This theme is intentionally broad to enable your Clubs to focus on different aspects of the theme in different community service program areas, whether in your Education and Libraries program, your Health and Wellness program, or in your Civic Engagement program.

Be Kind. How can random acts of kindness impact others? How can we encourage others to perform more random acts of kindness? How many acts of random kindness can your Club perform in a month? In a year?

Conversely, let’s raise awareness of how being unkind impacts other, specifically, bullying. Did you know that 1 in 5 students is bullied on a daily basis? Did you know that students who experience bullying are at an increased risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, lower academic achievement, and dropping out of school? And bullying doesn’t just occur in schools among children, it occurs online, it occurs in group gatherings, among both children, teens, young adults, and older adults. And it hurts! 

Most of us have heard the phrase, “Sitcks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Well, I am here to tell y’all, they were WRONG! Words do hurt, and they have a lasting impact on us. So, Mental Health Matters! How we treat others, whether kindly or unkindly, impacts our mental health. And we need to raise awareness of mental health issues. Interestingly enough, not only is 1 in 5 students bullied daily, 1 in 5 adults experiences mental illness,1 IN 5!  And,1 in 25 adults live with serious mental illness. 

How do we turn this around? How do we make an impact in our communities? We change our actions, we raise awareness, we educate others, and we reduce the stigma!  During the 2024-2026 GFWC Virginia Northern District Administration, I challenge you all! Take a journey with me, treat others kindly, raise awareness of the impacts of bullying, teach others about bullying prevention, and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness.