Sporting Kansas City recently teamed up with Children's Mercy Kansas City for the third annual Kindness In The Schools (KITS) initiative to celebrate Kindness Champions from 49 elementary and middle schools across the region as part of the RED CARD anti-bullying campaign.
During Random Acts of Kindness Week from Feb. 14-20, each school surprised two individuals with a personal video message from a Sporting KC player and custom-designed Kindness Champions boxes containing co-branded Kindness Champion scarves as well as Sporting Kansas City’s new One KC primary jerseys customized with “Kindness” above the number 25 on the back of the kits.
In addition, each Kindness Champion received tickets to Sporting Kansas City’s home match on April 13 for Kids Day at Children’s Mercy Park and the group of special guests were honored on the field during a pre-match recognition.
PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS: Academie Lafayette (Cherry and Oak campuses), Arrowhead, Banneker, Bluejacket-Flint, Carl B. Bruce, George Washington Carver, Comanche, Crestview, Dayton Creek, East Antioch, Ervin, Forest Spring, Frontier School of Excellence, Gloria Willis, Grain Valley South, Harmony, James, John Diemer, Junction, Leawood, Mahaffie, New Stanley, Norfleet, Oak Grove, Overland Trail, Oxford, Prairie Creek, Prairie Point, Prairie Star, Ray Marsh, Renner, Richard Warren, Rising Hill, Rising Star, Rosehill, Southeast, Spring Branch, Spring Hill Elementary, Spring Hill Middle, St. Therese, St. Thomas More, Timber Sage, Trailwood, Welborn, West Park, Whittier, Wolf Creek, Woodland Spring
Students at Spring Branch Elementary in the Independence School District and Comanche Elementary in the Shawnee Mission School District also assembled Happy Kits used in a variety of areas throughout Children’s Mercy Kansas City to help patients and families feel welcome during their visit.
Partners since 2016, Sporting Kansas City and Children’s Mercy Kansas City launched the RED CARD campaign in 2018 to unite local communities to take a stance against one of the most significant social issues impacting children nationwide. The innovative campaign is designed to build awareness and empower youth and adults so they can help prevent and intervene in bullying.
Inspiring individuals to “call it when you see it,” the RED CARD programming uses soccer’s red card as a figurative visual tool to highlight instances of bullying in schools and other public settings while also encouraging positive behavior.
Through school assemblies and community-wide messaging, the RED CARD campaign aims to reach children, parents, teachers and coaches who have daily opportunities to create supportive environments and stop bullying in its tracks. A key component of the initiative is helping the community understand what bullying is, how to identify it and what to do about it.
Sporting has supported the RED CARD campaign through social media promotion, video segments on match broadcasts, integrations at youth soccer clinics and in-stadium activations at Children’s Mercy Park. For more information and to utilize online resources, visit RedCardKC.com.
