Fayetteville participated in its first ever Compassion Games last month, and local residents stacked up pretty well against much larger cities in the international competition that aims to help make communities safer, kinder, and better places to live.
According to this year’s final leader board results, Fayetteville finished first in the number of reports with 285 Random Acts of Kindness filed, and fifth in number of volunteers and volunteer hours served.
The basic idea of the Compassion Games, held Sept. 11-21, is to see which city can tally the most acts of kindness and general goodness over the 11-day period. The program is led by the Charter for Compassion, a project based on Karen Armstrong’s 2008 TED Prize wish to revive and advance the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Several local organizations participated in the games, including 40 Days for Life Rally, Fayetteville Farmers Market Vendors, Bikes Blues and BBQ Motorcycle Rally, Fayetteville Free Clinic, and others.
Participating cities in the Compassion Games this year included Atlanta, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Louisville, New York, San Francisco, and others.
Members of the Fayetteville Forward Economic Accountability Council Inclusion Group, who led local involvement in the games this year, said they hope to make participation in the the event an annual tradition in Fayetteville.
