Northern Michigan University alumna Anna Dravland's efforts to develop and expand Spread Goodness Day, an annual event that celebrates the “explosive and empowering” impacts of simple acts of goodness, inspired fellow NMU alumna and retired elementary teacher Sue Meier to coauthor a related children's book, The Goodness Garden. With support from generous donors, hundreds of free copies have been distributed to pre-kindergarten through second-grade classrooms in Michigan, Illinois and beyond in advance of this year's Spread Goodness Day celebration on March 14.
“Books about kindness are typically read on Spread Goodness Day. We wanted to write a book specifically related to the event,” said Meier. Coauthor Megan Calderon and illustrator Aaron Giannoni are also educators and celebrate Spread Goodness Day in their classrooms.
The book begins as three young sisters–Calderon's daughters–discover a sun-shaped seed on the ground. They eagerly show their neighbor, Anna (Dravland). She tells them it is a special seed from her goodness garden, and her hope is that the seeds are scattered throughout the world for people to find and help spread goodness. The girls rush home, save their seed in their nature box, and decide to perform a good deed by picking up trash in their town. As time goes on, they see more people in their community performing various acts of kindness.
The Goodness Garden project aligns with Meier's priorities as a teacher at South Elementary in Ithaca, Mich.: literacy, kindness to others and community service. She is known for promoting character education, implementing best practices in early childhood development and instilling in young children the importance of giving back to their community through monthly grant-funded service projects and random acts of kindness. The most popular project was Books for Babies, which presented books to the parents of newborns at the local hospital.
“My favorite quote by Aristotle is, ‘Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all,'” said Meier, a 1987 NMU graduate. “I firmly believe that a 5-year-old can truly change the world with a simple act of kindness.”
When she visited NMU Alumni Relations several years ago and learned about Dravland's Spread Goodness Day mission, Meier began participating in the annual event with her students. After retiring from elementary education, she introduced the celebration to a new school and community while working as a literacy coach. When she presented the idea of a children's book to highlight the annual event, Dravland enthusiastically gave her blessing.
“I'm deeply honored that they wanted to showcase our organization, our mission and the impact it has in the way they chose to do it,” said Dravland, who enthusiastically gave her blessing to the book. “It's an absolute crazy delight to see how my Spread Goodness Day creation comes out of somebody else who has been supporting it for so long as both a teacher and a participant.”
Dravland first announced Spread Goodness Day in October 2017 while employed at Travel Marquette. Just weeks later, during a routine walk to work, she suffered a rare and massive stroke—a carotid artery dissection—that left her unable to walk, speak or tolerate light and sound. Fortunately, an observant passerby witnessed the incident and helped to save her life. She embarked on a long road to recovery, but continues to face ongoing health challenges.
“A lot of people think I built Spread Goodness Day after my stroke because of that life-changing and traumatic experience,” Dravland said. “But no, if it hadn't been created before my accident, it wouldn't exist. It's not just a catchy name—it's a positive emotional tool. Performing or witnessing kindness has physiological benefits. It increases the production of oxytocin, which reduces blood pressure and promotes feelings of love and connection. It also stimulates serotonin, aiding in wound healing, and releases endorphins, which reduce pain and elevate mood. I do this to make myself happy and to feel connected to my community, even when I'm stuck in bed or the hospital.”
Spread Goodness Day occurs every year on the second Friday in March. It encourages individuals, schools and organizations to spread goodness together. Over the last seven years, it has expanded in scope and geography, becoming a global event. Dravland said six U.S. states and four cities proclaimed it a holiday last year.
She credits much of the event's success to where it originated. Marquette County is small enough that it's easier to reach each other, Dravland said, but big enough to spread a message and movement throughout the Upper Peninsula in a way that has a “huge positive impact.” The tangible symbol of Spread Goodness Day is sunglasses, which the book reflects as well.
“Someone commented that ‘we're making the future so bright you need shades,' so I thought that would be a fun and functional piece of swag that participants might enjoy wearing to show their support for and participation in Spread Goodness Day,” Dravland said. “We have had schools all over the country request them and it seems to create this really fun energy and sense of unity, even when they're not usually allowed to wear sunglasses in school.”
Meier said she hopes The Goodness Garden will help to reinforce the message that even small acts of goodness can create a ripple effect. As Spread Goodness Day continues to grow, so does its impact, proving that kindness—whether relayed in a book or demonstrated through action—has the power to change lives.
Learn more about Spread Goodness Day here. Purchase The Goodness Garden here.
Prepared by student writer Brynn Turnquist and NMU News Director Kristi Evans.
