Join in for an extraordinary afternoon that brings kids and parents together to have fun, do good, and be kind––all under one roof!  Family Kindness Festival, on Sunday, May 4, from 1-4 p.m., at Beachwood High School (25100 Fairmount Blvd in Beachwood) is a free family event geared for children ages 5 and older.  All ages are welcome to attend, however, children must be accompanied by an adult.  Now in its fourth year, the festival is presented by Senders Pediatrics in partnership with Beachwood City Schools.

This year’s theme, Be Kind-Hearted, emphasizes the power of art to inspire kindness and connection. Thirty inspiring nonprofits, 28 innovative students and 20 area schools will join together to create a one-of-a-kind landscape where families can have fun while engaging in service projects, meeting inspirational kids, and learning about volunteer opportunities within the community. Teens can connect with local nonprofits and identify a number of ways to meet their service hours requirement. The festival’s heartfelt goal is to encourage daily acts of kindness, big and small, that can have a meaningful impact on the world around us. The event also features entertainment, games, unique art projects, strolling characters, ice cream trucks, and so much more, which will surely captivate kids and parents alike.

• Interactive family games including Gaga
• Video games for the older kids
• Henna Art tattoos
• Tile painting
• Card-making for area hospitals
• Strolling characters
• Printmaking
• Friendship bracelets
• “Shrinky Dinks” to design colorful key chains and charms
• Upcycle Academy crafts
• Cleveland artist, Brandon Graves, brings a painting to life
• Ice-cold treats from East Coast Custard and Kona Ice trucks

• Interacting with Cleveland area nonprofit organizations and discovering ways to get involved and give back.
• Connecting with area kids who have developed awesome ideas to spread acts of kindness in their schools, neighborhoods, and communities.
• Wigs for Kids Cut-a-Thon—participate or cheer on volunteers donating their hair to children experiencing hair loss.

“We are so pleased to partner with Beachwood City Schools for the fourth year in a row to present an extraordinary afternoon for families,” said Dr. Shelly Senders of Senders Pediatrics.

“When we model and teach kindness to our children, we are not only teaching them empathy and awareness of others’ feelings, but we are also shaping their character and giving them the tools that serve as a bulwark against the epidemic of anxiety and depression that is engulfing our society. In short, we are laying the groundwork for creating a kinder, gentler and more compassionate world. That’s why we are so committed to this remarkable event,” Dr. Senders continued.

“Beachwood Schools’ mission, ‘To develop intellectual entrepreneurs with a social conscience,’ aligns seamlessly with the Family Kindness Festival. We are excited to once again host our community for this important event and proud to feature acts of kind-heartedness that young people engage in every day,” stated Dr. Robert P. Hardis, superintendent, Beachwood Schools.

While the event is free, advance registration is encouraged. For more information and to register, visit www.senderspediatrics.com/kindness.

SENDERS PEDIATRICS, located at 2054 South Green Road, Cleveland, OH, was founded over 35 years ago by Shelly Senders, MD, to help create a pediatric care community. Senders Pediatrics’ goal has always been to help parents figure their kids out and to serve as a trusted guide to help parents navigate the challenges of raising children from cradle through college. Senders Pediatrics unique approach blends medical and behavioral expertise, experience, personal connection, community engagement and a willingness to look at out-of-the-box solutions for families.  Family Kindness Festival is a project of the Senders Pediatrics Health Initiative, a federal 501 (c) (3) charitable organization.

BEACHWOOD CITY SCHOOLS is an award-winning preschool through high school public school district serving approximately 1,500 students from Beachwood, a thriving suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. This well-resourced school district provides a breadth of programming more akin to large school systems, but the smaller size that allows every student to be focused upon as an individual.