On November 13, 2024, in celebration of “World Kindness Day”, Gan Jing World launched a new round of the “Kindness is Cool” video contest promotion at Times Square in New York City. Twelve “Kindness Ambassadors” and super influencers created videos promoting kindness, which were displayed on the giant electronic advertising billboard at Times Square.
Since its inception in early 2023, the rapidly growing video sharing platform, Gan Jing World, has attracted participants from around the world through its “Kindness is Cool” online activities. This year, the platform gathered over ten influencers with a combined fan base of over 40 million to serve as “Kindness Ambassadors”.
During the event, the founder of “I Want To Mow Your Lawn,” Brian Schwartz (with 226k followers), and 22-year-old professional freerunner Luke Mizel (with 652k followers) were present at Times Square to witness the activities and received the medal as this year’s “Kindness Ambassadors”. They both expressed, “Kindness is truly cool!”
Schwartz emphasized, “Kindness is really cool! It is about simple acts of helping others, like mowing a neighbor’s lawn, turning a chore into a gift for someone else. When we care for our community, we are not just mowing grass, we are building connections between people.”
Mizel added, “A simple act of kindness can have a lasting impact, even changing someone else’s life. So, let’s come together and remember ‘Kindness is really cool!'”
“I Want To Mow Your Lawn” is a nonprofit organization that initiates a grassroots movement to provide lawn mowing services for the elderly, veterans, and others in need. The organization currently has over 1300 volunteers.
Schwartz mentioned that the role of their company is like a matchmaker, connecting those in need with willing helpers in their neighborhood. They have a simple online registration form that can be filled out by homeowners, their representatives, or their children to indicate their needs.
Schwartz, who lost his job in New York during the pandemic, returned home and started helping neighbors with lawn care. Despite returning to full-time work, he still operates this non-profit service in his spare time, emphasizing the importance of helping others, which in turn helps oneself.
He stressed that kindness is essential for everyone and expressed his desire to leave behind a kinder and better world for future generations when he leaves this world.
At the event site, representatives from Gan Jing World’s “Kindness is Cool” campaign emphasized the importance of spreading the message of kindness in society, not only among content creators but the general public as well. The event at Times Square on “World Kindness Day” aimed to bring the theme of kindness to a global stage.
Gan Jing World announced that the second edition of the “Kindness is Cool” video contest in 2024 will offer more rewards to encourage content creators spreading kindness and those supporting acts of kindness. The award ceremony for this edition is scheduled for March 2025.
Prizes include a $10,000 cash award for the winner, to be shared between the creators of the winning video and individuals or organizations featured in the video. Additionally, a silver medal with a $1,000 cash reward and certificate will be awarded, as well as ten bronze medal winners receiving $500 each and a certificate.
For more information on additional awards and how to participate, visit Gan Jing World’s Kindness Contest.