(NewsNation) — A Massachusetts dad is dedicated to sending positive messages of kindness at his daughter’s school in an effort to combat bullying.
After hearing stories about bullying getting out of hand, Stephen Mandile has been standing in front of Whitin Middle School holding homemade “kindness” signs.
One sign reads, “Choose kindness always.”
“You are loved. You are Amazing,” reads another.
Mandile discussed his “kindness” campaign during an appearance on “Morning in America”.
“It’s about making sure each one of these kids see something positive to start their day,” he said. “And being able to feel welcomed, and they have a safe place to go to school.”
Mandile is a disabled Iraq War veteran and says he was bullied as a kid.
Little inspirational phrases and words can go a long way and can have a huge impact. Mandile says “choose kindness” is a simple message, but his mission is much bigger than that.
“I really want to end bullying and spread positivity,” he said. “It’s pretty easy these days to get bogged down in the negative things that are going on in the world. But there’s so much positive out there for us to see.”
Mandile says that it really takes the community to make sure these kids have the best opportunities available to them.
“I wanted to get out there and make sure these kids saw that they weren’t going to be outnumbered,” he said.
Now the students call him “Mr. Kindness” and parents have expressed positive changes in their kids’ attitudes.
“When they drive up to the school, and they see me, they’re smiling, and they’re waving and they’re having a great experience,” he said. “So just knowing that at least there’s one kid that we’ve helped it makes it all worth it.”
Watch the full interview wit Stephen Mandile in the video player at the top of the page.