Sometimes when we’re bogged down by work, responsibilities and other hardships, we forget how beautiful life can be. That’s why nearly 100 students and staff from the Arlington Regional Learning Center in Riverside, Calif., recently stood outside their school for hours just to spread some positivity. As Good News Network reports, the group wore bright yellow shirts and waved signs like “You rock,” “It’s going to be okay” and “Free hugs” to cars, trucks and pedestrians going trough the intersection of Adams Street and Arlington Avenue. A passerby told the site, “I never come this way, but I’m glad I did today. This is really cool—I really needed it.”
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The group was part of the Happiness Sprinkling Project, created by Laura Lavigne in 2012 because she wanted to, yes, “sprinkle” happiness in cities all over the country with these uplifting messages. Joelle Hood, the principal at the Arlington Regional Learning Center told Good News Network that it’s just as as important to teach kindness as it is to prevent bullying. “I want to give our students as many opportunities as possible to know how good it feels to give to someone else,” she said, “to do acts of kindness, and feel part of something bigger than them, making this world a better place—and that they do have the power to make a positive difference.” Just reading about it makes us feel good.