By Meredith Gardner
meredith.gardner@theindependent.com

It's Acts of Kindness Week, sponsored by the area's 60 AOK (Acts of Kindness) Ladies.

Their message: Look for opportunities to do something nice for someone else, even if it's something as small as a smile and "hello" to a stranger, AOK Lady Gloria Wolbach said.

The group's hope, Wolbach said, is that those who receive random acts of kindness will pay it forward.

"Do a kind deed and pass it on, because kindness can be just as contagious as violence and hate," Wolbach said.

Since 1999, Acts of Kindness Week has been held the week before Valentine's Day in Grand Island.

This year, a number of area businesses and organizations have agreed to participate.

The Grand Island Public Library will not charge fines on overdue books turned in this week, and the Police Department may hand out pink AOK "citations" instead of fines to motorists pulled over for traffic violations.

Some restaurants, such as Sutter Deli and Sonic Drive-In, will give away free meals to random customers. And a variety of other businesses will go about doing good.

"I think it's a great opportunity to give to the community," said Jennifer Wieland, co-owner of Grand Island's Sonic Drive-In restaurants. "It makes people happy, and then they pass it on."

To help fuel the movement, the AOK Ladies have distributed hundreds of signs and pink cards encouraging people to perform acts of kindness and recognizing those who do.

The AOK Ladies are also making the rounds to area public schools this week to read the book "Goodness Gorillas" and talk about doing good deeds. After the week is through, Wolbach estimated the group will have reached out to up to 1,500 children.

Since Acts of Kindness Week began, Wolbach said, she believes Grand Island has become a "kinder, more gentler town" one she hopes will become known as the "City of Kindness" year-round.

"You just have to be nice, and you will be surprised how that will return to you in many, many ways," she said.