Orion Jean was the winner of the 2020 National Kindness Speech. The ten-year-old from Ft. Worth, Texas, has committed to doing good for so many. In Orion’s award-winning speech, he says, “Kindness is like giving the world a hug.” Orion is committed to giving as many people as possible a hug and making a difference in the world.
The prize for the winning speech was $500. Orion did not use the money for himself, but instead he used it to set up a project to help other kids. Orion decided that he wanted to give the gift of knowledge and the joy of reading with as many people as possible. He created a webpage and launched the “Race to Kindness.” After learning that so many children do not have books of their own, Orion set an ambitious goal of collecting 500,000 books to give away to kids who did not have books.
Half a million books is one big goal. Orion dreams big for a young person. To date, he has collected 120,000 books and he is not slowing down. Orion’s hard work and determination to spread kindness has captured the attention of Half Price Books, who recently announced they will help by donating 50,000 books.
Orion Jean is a reminder to us that we can all make a difference in the world. Small, intentional acts of kindness can bless the lives of the people around us. Orion took $500 and with the support of his family, launched an opportunity to bless thousands of lives. Just imagine what we could do if we all committed to kindness. Our world needs kindness. Our world needs the people of faith to lead in kindness. Today, lets be intentional about offering kindness and give the world a hug.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
