Rena students wave “Magic Wands of Kindness”

Magic wands of kindness are being waved all over the community, thanks to the K-Kids Club at Rena Elementary School.

The project began as a way to promote National Bullying Prevention Month in October. The elementary K-Kids Club decided the best way to get involved was to model kindness themselves. The goal of the magic wands project is to bring awareness to the campaign and to demonstrate the importance of showing kindness to others with small random acts. Rena Media Specialist and K-Kids Sponsor Marlene Summerhill explained, “We consider showing kindness to others as ‘magic’ because it not only makes others feel better, but we feel better when we are kind to others.” 

To get started, Rena K-Kids collected craft supplies to use in making the wands. Each wand is unique, with students having given personal, creative touches to their individual projects. All 22 Rena K-Kids then distributed six Magic Wands of Kindness throughout the Van Buren region, targeting high traffic areas.

“Each wand has a note attached describing the project,” said Summerhill. “Whoever finds a wand does three random acts of kindness and passes it along. They are encouraged to take selfies with the wands and post them on the Rena Magic Wands of Kindness Facebook page.”

In addition to scattering wands throughout the community, K-Kids are also secretly placing five wands throughout the Rena campus each day in October. “Our school is buzzing with excitement and it is great to see the smiles on their faces,” noted Summerhill. 

Wands have made their way across the city and beyond, popping up at the Crawford County Courthouse, the Van Buren Municipal Complex, Van Buren Police Department, Walmart, the Boys and Girls Club, and Blakemore Field. Individuals have also found them at area churches, schools, restaurants, the Van Buren City Park, and the Field of Dreams. One lady posted a photo of the wand she found in a Fort Smith Subway location and noted that it was traveling back with her to Batesville. Principal Joyce Sanders expanded the project’s reach, leaving wands in Oklahoma City during a recent trip.

Summerhill believes that the project is achieving its goal and making a lasting impression on the students. “The impact on our school has been amazing! Students are being kinder to each other and pointing out when others are kind to them. They are looking for Magic Wands of Kindness so they can pass them to their families, friends, and community. The teachers are making extra effort to celebrate kindness in their classes, so it is not only a K-Kids project, but a school-wide project, as well.”

See more Magic Wand selfies at www.facebook.com/renamagicwandproject.