About
The Villages, Florida, may well be the largest and most vibrant retirement community in the world. Here, acts of kindness flourish as countless retirees generously dedicate their time to others. In early 2019, we launched this club to celebrate these selfless deeds, aiming to cultivate an even richer culture of kindness. As the first club of its kind, we’re proud to introduce fresh, creative ways to recognize and encourage kindness—ideas we’re excited to share with you. Our long-term vision is to inspire other communities to adopt similar initiatives and spread kindness far and wide.
The mission of the Acknowledging Acts of Kindness Club is to honor and reward those who go above and beyond in showing compassion and care. These everyday heroes, who tirelessly help others, serve as the finest role models. By shining a spotlight on their actions, we foster a ripple effect of goodwill, strengthening our community’s culture of kindness and inspiring it to grow beyond our borders.
Our members are the heartbeat of this effort, and with nearly 90 strong—and counting—they’re deeply committed to our cause. All we ask is that members attend monthly meetings when possible, bring their ideas to the table, and join in the fun at our Acknowledging Acts of Kindness (AAOK) events. There’s no cost to join, and we promise it’ll be an enjoyable, rewarding experience!
Looking ahead, we aspire to be a blueprint for others eager to launch their own Acknowledging Acts of Kindness clubs. As we refine our approach to building a thriving culture of kindness, we’re eager to share our insights with anyone inspired to follow in our footsteps
Leadership Team
Lindsay Collier is the co-Founder & President. He formed the board of directors, and focus groups, and has connected with the media to get the club some great exposure. Instrumental in designing the cards, certificates, shirts, etc. Former Captain in the US Army Corps of Engineers and Engineer with Eastman Kodak Co. As an international speaker he took four tours across South Africa to help the country deal with change in the era of Nelson Mandela.
Joe Santoro is a Founder and sponsor of the club. He is also the founder of the Santoro Educational Lifeskills Foundation which has been very active in providing social/emotional learning (SEL) for schools and institutions in Florida and beyond with their Alive2Thrive program.
AAOK Club Board Members
President and Co-Founder: Lindsay Collier, Village of Tall Trees
Vice President: Kathy Cohen, Village of Santiago
Treasurer: Barbara Bickley, Village of Tall Trees
Membership Chair: Carol Zagrosh, Village of Pine Ridge
Club Secretary: Peggy Cunningham, Village of Cirus Grove
Candidate Selection and Event Coordination: Cathi Coy, Village of St. Catherine
Educational Focus Group Leader: Pearl Seavitte, Village of Ashland
Outreach Coordinator: Jen Smith, Village of Santo Domingo
Chief Technology Officer: Chris Coy, Village of St. Catherine
FOCUS GROUPS
Business Flier Focus Group
This group will explore opportunities to have local businesses display our kindness card fliers. Aligning with local businesses has a tremendous potential for both them and us! Here is an example of our flier. Currently inactive.
Candidate Selection and Events Coordination
The purpose of this group is to oversee the selection of candidates who have shown exceptional kindness for acknowledgment, and to plan these events. We hope to have at least one of these events each month.
Social Groups Focus
There are over 3000 clubs in the Villages. Within this grouping there are some who might be particularly interested in hearing about our club. The purpose of this focus group is to share our story with many of these groups and create synergetic relations with them. Currently inactive.
Educational Focus Group
This group will communicate with schools in the tri-county area (Sumter, Lake, and Marion) to explore ways to use our ideas and processes to get students involved in kindness. In the future we may expand well beyond these boundaries. The future is with our children – just think of the effect this can have!
