Kindness Week, an annual event at Oakland University, takes place from Feb. 11 to Feb. 15. Students are encouraged to spread positivity and optimism through random acts of kindness.

The Office for Student Involvement (OSI) hosts different events each year to promote these acts of kindness and this year they will be introducing their ExplOUration Series.

“We will be trying to make sure that students are engaged as possible for the series,” said Daryl Blackburn, a graduate assistant for[ OSI.

The series is an interactive event that will feature different stations to teach students about being kind to others as well as to themselves. The event will begin with an ice breaker that encourages genuine compliments and positive communication.

OSI will be hosting plenty of other events for students who cannot make it to the ExplOUration Series but still want to participate in Kindness Week.

Tuesday is OU’s official Day of Kindness. Tables will be set up in Ballroom A where students can take part in different service projects that will be donated at the end of the day. This will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“On Wednesday, students can stop by OSI and we will have therapy dogs for them to play with,” Blackburn said. “We will have snacks and will be making dog toys out of t-shirts to be donated to a shelter as well as collecting dog food/toy donations.”

Students who take selfies with the dogs or any other photos during the week are encouraged to use the hashtag “#OUKindnessWeek” on social media for a chance to win a prize at the end of the week.

Thursday will consist of “Coffee, Cookies, and Kindness.” Students and faculty can stop by the fishbowl of South Foundation Hall to get free snacks in honor of Kindness Week.

“This week really has the power to remind people that small acts of kindness can make a huge impact,” Blackburn said. “We really want to encourage everyone to pay a little extra attention this week.”

In addition to being kind to other students, Kindness Week provides an opportunity for philanthropy. Mission: Kindness is an on-campus organization that seeks to spread positivity and make a difference through simple actions.

Mission: Kindness hosted their PB&J drive on Thursday, Feb. 7 and nearly 100 sandwiches were donated to Grace Centers of Hope.

“We chose Grace Centers of Hope because we greatly support their mission to help individuals and families in our society regain control of their lives, whether they ended up at Grace to deal with addiction, homelessness or other life-altering difficulties,” Maya Sammane, vice president of Mission: Kindness, said.

PB&J may seem like a simple meal, but Sammane says that’s the point.

“Kindness Day isn’t about big, extravagant acts; it’s about the power that rests in the willingness to give something meaningful to another person,” she said. “Something that makes them feel cared for in a way that they may not have been before.”