Tuesday, January 15, 2019,

was no ordinary day for the students at Foundations Academy in Brighton, Colo. This particular Tuesday was special. It was the day that they received their very own, one-of-a-kind Buddy Bench!

Still waking up from their previous night sleep, the students yawned their way into the gymnasium for the monthly Moral Focus Assembly. However, it wasn’t just a normal Moral Focus Assembly. The students’ yawns quickly turned into smiles as they walked into the gym to find two bouquets of blue, white and gold balloons and a surprise waiting under a light blue sheet.

For the month of January 2019, the moral focus was “Perseverance.” Encouraging students to persevere through the challenges that they may face at school and in their daily life. It was then that the Principal of Foundations Academy called up R2K’s Kindness Specialists, Caroline and Kelly, up to the front of the gym to reveal the surprise. Kelly started by explaining to the students that Resort 2 Kindness helps students “persevere” through challenges using kindness and by choosing kindness students can inspire others to do so too. Caroline then explained that one way to choose kindness is by playing with someone on the playground if they’re playing alone and how you can do that by using the Buddy Bench.

Our Buddy Bench Illustrator, Andy Linke, has one child who goes to Foundations Academy and another who will be at the school next year. He referred Foundations Academy to Resort 2 Kindness and the reason we selected this school to receive the next Buddy Bench. To honor his referral, we asked that his two children come up to the front of the gym to help with the reveal. “We’d like to have Bennett and Colston come up to help reveal the buddy bench. Their dad is one of the creative masterminds behind the Buddy Bench and the reason we chose your school,” stated Caroline. The students cheered and smiles were on everyone’s faces. Everyone counted “One! Two! Three!” Then Caroline, Kelly and Andy’s two sons pealed the light blue sheet back to reveal the beautiful oak wood one-of-a-kind buddy bench. The two featured characters were a Silver Fox, representing Patrick Pellouchoud, Elva’s late father and Resort 2 Kindness’ inspiration for the Buddy Bench series, and the Foundations Academy falcon mascot.

The students cheered with excitement and overwhelmed enthusiasm could be heard throughout the entire gymnasium. They were so grateful and ecstatic to try out their own Buddy Bench. It was an amazing and magical moment for Resort 2 Kindness and the Foundations Academy students, faculty and parents who attended the assembly.

A special THANK YOU was expressed to Kay Collins and the staff and students of Foundations Academy! Also, we were so grateful to Sam Mobley, Andy Linke and Mark Zwingelberg, the creative masterminds behind the Buddy Bench design, and to Darcy Kiefel and her beautiful photography skills that captured this momentous occasion flawlessly!

To request your child’s school to receive the next Buddy Bench, click here and fill out the form at the bottom of the page.