Kindergarten 'kindness ninjas' deliver thanks to Victoria health-care workers

Although the students at Sundance-Bank Elementary may seem like regular kindergarten kids, Oliver says they’re not.

The 5-year-old says the transformation began a few weeks ago when his class was presented with a big choice.

“You could be a kindness ninja or not,” Oliver says before revealing that everybody chose to be a ninja.

His classmate Flora says they had to train to be kindness ninjas. “You need to practise to be kind.”

After learning about all the possible ways to be kind, including committing random acts of kindness, the students earned matching red headbands.

“It’s because I’m a kindness ninja,” Fraya says proudly after adjusting hers.

When I met the ninjas, more than a dozen of them were walking in a line down the street, holding hands (for safety) and wearing headbands (for action).

Before embarking on this inaugural kindness ninja mission, their teacher set a goal.

“We started to brainstorm,” Rebecca Bushby explains. “Who in our community could benefit from receiving a random act of kindness?”

“Bruce thought of nurses,” Fraya says, kindly giving credit where credit is due to her classmate.

“They are working so hard to help because of COVID,” Oliver adds.

After agreeing to show their appreciation to local health-care workers, the ninjas started making handmade cards, and accepting donations of chocolates and sparkling water.

They put them in two wagons decorated with handmade thank-you signs, and walked more than 30 minutes to the Royal Jubilee Hospital.

When they arrived, the ninjas sprang into action.

“We want to give you a special gift,” one of the children proclaimed, before offering sweet treats and grateful words, to appreciative members of the coronary care unit.

The ninjas had trained for the response from the recipients.

“We talked about what [the ninjas] would expect when you deliver something,” Bushby says. “That feeling in your own heart. But also seeing the joy on other people’s faces.”

The thing was, all the health-care workers faces were covered with masks.

It offered an unexpected lesson on the power of kindness.

It seems that even when smiles are covered, there’s no masking the joy welling in the eyes of appreciative people looking back at you.

“I was quite touched that they took the time,” says Sarah, a clinical nurse leader, fighting back tears. “It’s just wonderful.”

As the nurses wheel away the wagonloads of gifts to share with their colleagues, the ninjas leave us with the lesson learned.

“I would say kindness is important,” Oliver says.

Whether you’re wearing a headband or not, Fraya adds, “you help somebody by doing kindness.”