William – the boy who sees kindness unconditionally

April 26, 2019April 26, 2019 twhimsLeave a comment

It is our pleasure to introduce William to you as our Cape Kid for the month of April. William is a 4th grader at Lafayette Avenue School in Chatham, New Jersey, where he spreads kindness daily.

At only 9 years old, William exemplifies what is means to be BETTER THAN THAT™ – he stands up for what is right at all times. If William witnesses another being unkind, he will ask the other person to change his behavior and model kindness, without hesitation. Treating everyone fairly and kindly is incredibly important to William.

When William notices that someone is upset, he goes out of his way to cheer up that person with a smile and big hug. “Perhaps the best thing about William is the hug he gives to all he sees. He has a hug so tight that you can literally feel the love he has in his heart for others.” Says mom, Janet.

Spreading kindness is a mission for William. He enjoys reminding others of the importance of Random Acts of Kindness by leaving them notes, with a positive message. Those messages are attached to a friendship bracelet that he makes with love. Writing kindness poems and sharing with others is also a joy for William. One of his goals is to write a “kindness book” when he is older.

William is Autistic. During the month of April, which is National Autism Awareness Month, William and his family chose to “Light it Up Blue” to raise awareness for his disability. He also visited his Aunt Amy’s classroom, where he read the book I See Things Differently: A First Look at Autism to fourth and fifth graders in order to educate them about what life can be like for a child who is on the Autism Spectrum. William was not only very comfortable reading to groups of children he had never met before, but he read with such expression and confidence that he soon earned high praise from the students. William graciously and honestly answered all of their questions. The students left the classroom feeling more educated and better prepared, should they encounter someone who “sees things differently.”

In response to his visit, Aunt Amy replied, “This little boy with a big heart can be the example for many adults who need to remember to be kind to all and accept others as they are,”

Although Autism may cause William to see things differently than others, one thing he sees unconditionally is kindness. Thank you, William, for spreading kindness and making a difference in the world! We are very proud of you.

Spreading Kindness and Cheer throughout the Past Year

December 20, 2018December 20, 2018 twhimsLeave a comment

As this year comes to an end, we would like to pause and celebrate the seeds of kindness that were sown over the past 12 months. Wear the Cape is incredibly proud of the work its team has done to help spread goodwill throughout our communities, and hope you feel inspired to continue doingthe same.

This past year, Wear the Cape brought its assembly program to over 2,000 children! We’ve now reached over 50 elementary schools, recreation departments and clubs throughout the country. The Hero Strategies that we teachare being used to build positive relationships between students, teachers, parents, and coaches. We could not be prouder and more humbled by the impact this program has had on participants – students and teachers alike.

In fact, due to the heartening feedback we’ve received, Wear the Cape is pressing on with the creation of a middle school program, which will further extend our mission of teaching kids that IT’S COOL TO BE KIND by being BETTER THAN THAT™.

Helping others is what we do best at Wear the Cape, and this year we decided to expand our efforts through the creation of THE LUNCHBOX MOVEMENT. The Erricochildren, who act as Cape Kid ambassadors, created a program to help feed underprivileged children during the summer months, when they do not have access to school lunches.

Thanks to their hard work and outreach, they received donations from local businesses, such as Burger King, Costco, Stop and Shop, Acme, and ShopRite, as well as a donation of reusable lunchboxes from kidkind foundation. These lunchboxes were filled with nourishing food, as well as handwritten notes of encouragement, and delivered by the Errico children and other Cape Kid ambassadors to Team Walker Summer Camp in Jersey City.

Cape Kids even gave an interactive presentation on nutrition and etiquette to the campers before they enjoyed their meal. It was a joy-filled day for all, one that Wear the Cape hopes to relive again next year. Please email leighann@wearthecapekids.com if you know of a camp or organization that is in need of summer lunches.

This year, during National Volunteer Month, Wear the Cape’s Cape Kid ambassadors also lent a hand at Bounce Factory in Warren, New Jersey, during their Gentle Bounce session. Beautiful friendships were formed, as Cape Kidsassisted children with special needs in their jump session. We’re excited that Wear the Cape will be offering children more volunteer experiences throughout the new year to continue teaching the importance of giving back to others!

Additionally, Wear the Cape had several firsts this past year. For one, our organization was invited to present a lesson on kindness and heroism, as part of Take Your Child to Work Day at Willis Towers Watson in Short Hills, New Jersey. We were thrilled to be a part of this very special day, while spreading the word that it’s COOL TO BE KIND.

Additionally, we received countless calls and emails this past year from people throughout the country sharing how they learned of Wear the Cape and how the organization’s educational resources have helped them and their children(feedback is one of our greatest rewards).

One of the most surprising calls came from the NJ Devils hockey team. They heard about the work Wear the Cape isdoing to spread kindness and the positive impact our assembly is having in many communities. They were so impressed with our program that they invited Wear the Cape to present at a NJ Devils game next year. Wow!

We thank YOU for helping to spread kindness in your community and beyond, through support of Wear the Cape and your independent endeavors. If you would like to gift an assembly or IT’S GOOD TO BE KIND books to an underprivileged school, donate to THE LUNCHBOX MOVEMENT, or purchase our merchandise, which donates 10% of profits to kidkind foundation, please visit https://cape.myshopify.com/products/donate-to-wear-the-cape-kids. All donations to the kidkind foundation, a registered 501 (c)(3) charity, are tax-deductible.

Wishing you many blessings throughout the new year!

In kindness,

Leigh Ann Errico

Protecting our Children Online

October 18, 2018September 20, 2018 twhimsLeave a comment

Yesterday I received an email from my son’s elementary school principal informing parents that the school had an online safety presentation for their fourth and fifth grade students. When asked how many of the students had spoken to someone whom they knew was a stranger online, about half of the children raised their hands.

WOW! That is scary!

As parents, we have been instilling the life lesson of “Stranger Danger” in our children from the time they were toddlers. “Don’t speak to a stranger,” “Never get in a car with someone you don’t know,” and other important rules we implore our children follow to keep them safe.

Yet, HALF of these nine to eleven year olds admitted to talking to a stranger online. Mrs. Smith, Principal at Angelo L. Tomaso School in Warren, New Jersey urged parents to help by stating, “We need to work together to remain informed, diligent, and ahead of the game to guide our kids through their world of social media.”

Another abuse of social media is Cyber bullying. I’m curious as to how many of those fourth and fifth grade students would have raised their hands to indicate if they have been bullied online – or how many Middle and High Schoolers?

Our First Lady has pledged to work toward putting an end to bullying on social media. Mrs. Trump states, “We have to find a better way to talk to each other, to disagree with each other, to respect each other.” (usatoday.com). As parents, it is our job to teach our children this better way.

Keeping our children safe is paramount, both on and off-line. We need to help our children navigate technology, which includes video games, social media, and online chat rooms, in a way that will help, not hurt.

Below we have listed several ways to talk to your child about online safety. It’s never too early to discuss these strategies with your child. Openly talking with your child on a regular basis is key to keeping your child safe.

Discussion Topics for Online Safety:

Make the real World /Cyber World Connection: Instruct your children that if it’s not permitted in the “real world” it should not be done in the “Cyber World” i.e.: sharing personal information, making fun of someone, showing inappropriate photos of self or someone else.
Protect your Privacy: Never share your personal information online, including age, address, phone number, birthday.Allow your child to understand that he/she must tell you if someone is asking for this information online.
Know When to Let Go: Let your child know that if he/she is uncomfortable with anything presented online, it is encouraged to immediately leave that site and inform a parent or teacher.
Be Approachable: It is extremely important that your child understand that you are there to support and help him/her with any and all online issues. Allow your child to feel comfortable and secure when telling you details of online play.
Online Play to Stay: Create a list of rules with your child to help him stay safe online. Include sites and topics that are “green light” – can be used without adult guidance, “yellow light” – an adult needs to be present/an adult needs to be called to review and “red light” – sites and topics that are not to be viewed or discussed.

Online safety and Cyber bullying are topics discussed during our Hero Assembly. For more information about our program, please email leighann@wearthecapekids.com