Summer interns at the PATH Foundation have announced plans for PATH to Kindness, their summer community engagement project. The project attempts to inspire residents in Fauquier, Rappahannock and Culpeper counties to show kindness — to the community, others and themselves, said Margy Thomas, PATH Foundation program associate.

The project, she said, will include three main components: an ongoing scavenger hunt, pop-up events and a Kindness Walk. The scavenger hunt and pop-up events will take place from Monday, July 15 to Friday, July 19. The Kindness Walk is an effort to bring the community together at the Warrenton Aquatic Recreation and Fitness Center on July 17.

The Kindness Walk will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. in the parking lot of the WARF, coinciding with the weekly Food Truck Wednesday event there. Parking will be available at the WARF, as well as at Fauquier High School across the street. Admission is free, and community members of all ages are welcome.

At the walk, participants will have the opportunity to gather and complete intentional acts of kindness, including writing thank you notes to first responders, planting vegetables, creating a community mural and more. Participants who complete the kindness walk will receive a prize and be entered into a drawing to donate up to $1,000 to a nonprofit of their choice, said Thomas.

Interns will be distributing scavenger hunt participation cards at pop-up events throughout the week, as well as at the Kindness Walk.

“These projects will show our community how an individual can enact change through kindness,” said Asma Noman, one of 12 PATH interns who created the project. “The pop-up events show that kindness can be spontaneous, while the Kindness Walk shows the magnitude of change we can accomplish when we act in kindness together. Each component of the project will illustrate how kindness can spark long-term change in our community.”

Through scavenger hunt items such as “start recycling in your home,” or “make a favorite recipe with a loved one” and pop-up events including painting kindness rocks, area residents will get the chance to experience kindness firsthand, before attending the Kindness Walk event.

“The interns hope that this initiative will not end after this week,” said Thomas. “PATH to Kindness aims to spark a change that goes beyond one day of kindness, encouraging kindness not only as an intentional action, but also as a habit.”

For the latest information about the PATH Foundation Internship Program, visit our Interns page.