For the month of November, the Bluffton softball team has been orchestrating acts of kindness around the campus and outside community.
Photo of Taylor Shimp. Photo by Olivia Daugherty.
Led by senior exercise science and strength and conditioning major Taylor Shimp, the team organized an act of kindness every day, with each member of the team being assigned a day.
Shimp, a transfer student, did a similar project with her old softball team and brought the idea to head coach Paige Jansen.
“I had challenged the ladies to come to me with different ideas to get softball more visible on campus,” said Jansen. “Shimp came to me with that [acts of kindness] and I thought it was the perfect timing, the perfect idea—everyone can use a little bit of kindness in the world.”
Gloves and socks donated to Bluffton Elementary school. Photo by Bryn Cisco.
The acts of kindness include paying for others’ meals around Bluffton, leaving notes around campus, and giving candy to professors and students. One act that stood out to Shimp was donating gloves, hats, underwear and clothes to a local elementary school.
“The guy that I was on the phone with [from the elementary school] was so thankful and happy,” Shimp said. “I wanted to cry because he said, ‘We really needed this, thank you guys.’ That’s one of my favorite ones we have done.”
For Jansen, the impact on campus caught her attention.
“I think what stands out to me is when different faculty and staff members come up and say, ‘Hey I was having a rough day and I saw that note and it brightened my day,’” Jansen said. “It’s just kind of neat to get us out there and just to know the little thing of sharing a kind word can mean someone may be having the worst day ever and they see it and think ‘Life’s not too bad.’”
Not only has Shimp seen a positive impact on the recipients of the acts, but she has also seen her teammates grow as individuals.
“The people who are kind of shy have really stepped out of their box,” Shimp said. “They have been like ‘Hey, this was fun. I would like to do this again.’”
Jansen plans on continuing the acts of kindness in the years to come.
“I definitely would like to continue to do this for sure, for the month of November,” said Jansen. “For as long as I’m here at Bluffton, this will be a standing tradition for the softball team.”
