'Compassion Games: Survival of the Kindest' To Start Thursday

A "coopetition" will start Thursday in Fayetteville.

This altruistic competition is Compassion Games: Survival of the Kindest. The games run through Sept. 21, which is the International Day of Peace, said Nancy Harris, team leader for the Compassion Games group with Compassion Fayetteville. Compassion Fayetteville is hosting the competition in Fayetteville, one of 42 cities participating around the globe. The purpose of the Compassion Games is to increase compassion in the city through the idea of a friendly competition, Harris said.

"The idea is, all together, we want to just raise the bar -- so to speak -- of compassionate acts done everywhere," she said.

The Compassion Games came into being in response to a community challenge issued in 2012 by Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville, Ky., to the city of Seattle, according to the Compassion Games website. In response to the challenge, the Compassion Games and coopetition were born.

"In a few short years, the Games have engaged cities, community groups, families and individuals in several countries," according to compassiongames.org.

Fayetteville joined the Compassion Games last year. The city took first place in the reports category of the Compassion Games, recording 285 random acts of kindness, service projects and compassionate stories shared, Harris said. She noted that random acts of kindness can be done for self, others or the world environment. The games feature five categories: reports, number of volunteers, number of volunteer hours, number of people served and money raised.

Fayetteville receives points when any of these are reported on the Compassion Map on the Compassion Games website. Anyone in Northwest Arkansas can participate, but to record points, they have to report under the Fayetteville entry, she said.

"Each dollar gets a point. Each service hour gets a point. Each volunteer gets a point," she explained.

In last year's event, Fayetteville also received fifth place for reporting 1,485 volunteers and 5,569 volunteer hours. There were 5,235 people served and $2,393 raised in donations, according to a Compassion Fayetteville press release.

Compassionate acts can include cleaning up the community, reading to children, sitting in meditation or praying for others who walk by, according to the September/October 2014 Compassion Fayetteville newsletter.

Harris said one compassionate action last year was that a pediatric clinic in Fayetteville collected 100 cans of food to give to Meals on Wheels. Harris added that Box Ox Moving Co. completed compassionate acts every day of the games, such as putting quarters in meters throughout the city to keep people from getting tickets and providing popcorn at Red Box locations. Some of the large contributors last year were LifeSource International, Feed Fayetteville, Washington Regional Medical Center and St. Paul's Episcopal Church's Community Meals.

Harris said she doesn't care as much about the points as she does about seeing cities focus more on compassion. Fayetteville has been designated an International Compassionate City by Compassionate Action Network International, a worldwide network founded on and inspired by the Charter for Compassion. The charter transcends religious, ideological and national differences, according to the Charter for Compassion website, charterforcompassion.org. The full text of the charter can be found on the website.

There are a few Fayetteville events planned for the Compassion Games, including a canned-food drive, children's fair and healing circle. The date for the canned food drive has not been set, Harris said. The children's fair will be hosted by the Coalition to Stand Watch for All the Children, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 21 at Walker Park in Fayetteville. The Harmonia Healing Circle will be 7 p.m. Sept. 16 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fayetteville. Harmonia is a local group of women who have been singing together for years, said Harris, a member of the group. People will sit in a circle with candles and sing peaceful and healing songs for 45 minutes, she added.

"There's no clapping. It's all just very quiet," she said.

Harris said she likes being part of the Compassion Games to see the compassion spread.

"What I really like is to see the connections people make, that people get interested and people care about being compassionate."