The Lansing School District has kicked off kindness month and its 517k Kindness Challenge.

The district said the goal of the six-week campaign is to complete and document 517,000 acts of kindness.

While the effort will be led by the students, the district said the challenge extends beyond the classrooms. Families, businesses, community organizations, government agencies and other groups throughout the 517-area code are invited to showcase how one can help those around them.

Superintendent Jessica Benavides told 6 News the 517k challenge will help connect their students with the Mid-Michigan community and empower them.

“Starting the kindness challenge was really about helping our kids understand that the impact they can have on their own community around them,” Benavides said. “Of course, me being born and raised in Lansing, I feel like there’s a sense of community. That’s really something that our kids need to have that feel of connectedness.”

The kindness campaign will culminate in a district-wide celebration on World Kindness Day on Nov. 13. There, the district plans to reveal a 517 Kindness Mosaic, which will be a visual representation of the thousands of actions completed throughout the campaign.

By: Diego Storck  |  WLNS