Mayor Jeremy Stutsman is proud to designate March 2017 through March 2018 as the Year of Goodness in Goshen. This Year is a way to remind residents of all the great things that happen in our community.
During this Year Mayor Stutsman will recognize individuals, organizations and businesses that go above and beyond to offer support to their community, and he will encourage acts of kindness among residents. The City will work with our local schools, and the Good of Goshen, to help document these acts of kindness in order to share results with onlookers and fellow Good of Goshen participants.
“We already live in a very generous community,” Mayor Stutsman said. “We have so many amazing people here—from individuals like Goshen resident Terry Wentz, who volunteers countless hours for several organizations, to families like the Fidlers and Finnegans who give back to our community, churches and other nonprofits, so they will be able to continue to offer great resources to their clients. These are just three examples in a very long list. I am proud to be mayor of a city with people who care about each other.”
To kick off the Year of Goodness, Mayor Stutsman will encourage each K-12 school in Goshen to create its own acts of kindness. He is not placing any rules on how these acts will develop; instead, he asks that schools encourage the participation of students who have not occupied leadership roles before and those who may not have the chance as youth to decide how to spend money on celebrating someone else. “I believe this will be a great process for all our youth, and that it will help them better understand what it feels like to be part of a community, and why it’s important to help others,” he said.
Through generous donations from several local individuals and families, the Mayor was able to raise $18,000 to be shared among 12 schools. No public funds are being used for this program. Mayor Stutsman will deliver each school a check for $1,750, so students can use the funds to create and carry out acts of kindness. One of the benefactors Mayor Stutsman has already spoken with believes strongly enough in the Year of Goodness that he has committed to working with his friends to help fund the program for the next several years. Mayor Stutsman asks those interested in the program to consider making a donation for future years to make this an annual tradition.
Mayor Stutsman also challenged our local media to have at least one positive story at the beginning of their broadcast, or on their newspaper’s front page, every day for the next Year. He asks each participating media outlet to make him aware by contacting his office.“I will do my best to keep up with everyone’s activities but will need to rely on you sharing with me what is happening,” he said. “Help us build our community by sharing these positive stories.”