‘It’s warmed my heart.’ Mayors in Johnson County see kindness throughout their cities

The view from a mayor’s desk in Johnson County — which is brimming with agendas, budgets, ordinances and regulations — could be considered daunting and even disheartening.

But several Johnson County mayors have said they are seeing special deeds and actions in their communities changed by COVID-19.

They see acts of kindness in the form of fresh flowers anonymously sent to seniors, teddy bears in home windows for children to count and warm greetings from those on walking trails.

“Each time I see and hear about acts like this, I am reminded of how a crisis can bring out the very best in people,” Prairie Village Mayor Eric Mikkelson says.

“Prairie Villagers tend to be special, resilient, compassionate people with a strong spirit of volunteerism.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for all of us, but those who can are stepping up to help those in need, warming hearts and reminding us why this is such a special community.”

One of Mikkelson’s favorite stories of kindness involved a resident who sent 100 bouquets from Village Flower Company right before it had to close to Brighton Gardens, an assisted living center facility in Prairie Village.

“Each resident received one for their room,” Mikkelson says. “Another resident started a Facebook group of volunteers to do yard work, deliver groceries, and perform other challenging tasks for our seniors and other vulnerable residents. All in a safe way, maintaining spacing.”

Help from Nextdoor

Leawood Mayor Peggy Dunn noticed a similar act of kindness on the Nextdoor website for her homeowners association.

“Someone in northern Leawood posted a broad, general question to others on the site. The question was: ‘Is everyone all right? Do any of you need anything?’

“I was extremely moved by the outreach ... I’ve also received phone calls at home from my church community asking if I have any needs at this time or if they can do anything to help,” Dunn adds. “I’m sure that all of our area churches are probably doing the same as we have an extraordinarily strong faith community in Leawood.

“Although there’s a ‘Shelter-in-Place’ order for us all at the moment, I have been touched by watching my fellow citizens reach out to one another with acts of kindness or offers of assistance,” Dunn says.

“When I go to the grocery store, for instance, people are keeping an appropriate distance, but they are also stopping to inquire how others are doing.

“Similarly, when walking on our trail system, everyone is greeting those they pass when normally they just keep walking with their exercise routine. This confirms for me that we are definitely social beings, and we need human interaction for our good mental health.”

Kindness in action

Kindness has always been a part of the work of Shawnee Mayor Michelle Distler.

“(For) my ‘Mayor for a Day’ contest, before all this happened, the subject was kindness,” Distler says.

“I have an ongoing program the past five years recognizing good things in Shawnee in a multitude of ways.“

Shawnee is a community that becomes even stronger than usual during times like this, Distler adds.

“The residents have been wonderful, supporting our small businesses and the small businesses are supporting one another. Shawnee is very special and we all care for one another as one Shawnee, our Shawnee.”

Distler says specific acts of kindness include the Shawnee Police Department reading stories to children every day online, and a sidewalk challenge with a different theme posted daily by the city’s parks department.

“We are also doing a bear hunt in Shawnee where folks put a teddy bear in their window and families can go on bear hunts while out walking or driving,” Distler says.

Distler has placed her daughter’s Disney plush bear in her window.

“I’ve mostly watched from inside and (the children) get very excited to find a bear. It’s quite the treasure,” Distler says, “(They are) jumping, screaming, pointing.

“It’s warmed my heart to see such a focus on the kids during a time like this.”

This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 7:00 AM with the headline "‘It’s warmed my heart.’ Mayors in Johnson County see kindness throughout their cities."