OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — It’s been eleven years since tragedy struck in Overland Park when three people were shot and killed at two Jewish facilities.
This violent act in 2014 created a unifying and healing movement that's living and spreading still today. The non-profit SevenDays was born, giving people a platform to spread kindness together and to unite not despite their differences - but because of them.
“Back in 2014, when the shooting occurred, I mean, I'm part of the Jewish community, and it really hit hard at home,” Blue Valley North High School junior Jonah Stein said.
For Stein, April 13th, 2014, is a day he’ll never forget.
“Although none of the victims were Jewish, it was an attack on Judaism as a whole, and it really made us think about the Jewish community, how strong we are and how strong we can really be,” he said.
SevenDays works to overcome hate with kindness through conversations, projects, and yearly events. It reaches students through its Kindness Youth Leadership Team.
“You all have different experiences, but you all have a common goal. You want to spread kindness,” Notre Dame de Sion High School junior Maeve Riley said.
When it comes to religion alone, none of these students share the same beliefs. But that makes no difference to them.
“It's easy to feel like you're different or that you don't belong because of those things. But I think that those things actually make you belong more,” Blue Valley North High School junior Abhi Kambhampati said.
They’re united through kindness.
“I think that kindness is just about how each of us are kind of interconnected and what we can each share with each other,” Blue Valley West senior Sarah Jiang said.
And they’re proving that through kindness, all is possible.
“When I see them, I don't see what's different. I see what's the same. And that's our shared love for kindness,” Blue Valley North senior Athan Train said.
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KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers the cities of Shawnee and Mission. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
