2020 Weekend of Kindness Gear!

About this campaign

The Weekend of Kindness is a yearly event organized by Charlotte's Purpose in memory of Charlotte Elizabeth Carnaghan, who was stillborn on October 21, 2017. Charlotte's family invites family members, friends, and friends-they-have-yet-to-meet to do acts of kindness and service during the weekend closest to her birthday.

The mission of Charlotte's Purpose is to support those grieving after stillbirth. Statistically, African American women are 2.2 times more likely to suffer a tragic loss like this in the United States. This is why many of the projects selected by Charlotte's Purpose this year are focused on the Black community. We believe that small, purposeful kindnesses can have a big impact on the future of our country, even in terms of affecting something as daunting as systemic racism which is the root of the racial disparity in stillbirth rates. One way we intend to affect positive change at a local level is to increase diversity in K-8 classroom library offerings. Equity begins with understanding and understanding begins with exposure to experiences that are different than our own. There is no better place to begin exposing children to a wealth of human experience than through literature.

Our team will host a book drive to collect K-8 level children's books that feature Black and Brown authors, main characters, and culture. Books will be donated to Monarch Global Academy to be added to classroom libraries for all students to enjoy. We have selected MGA as the recipient school for several reasons. First, MGA has a diverse community of learners. We believe that every student deserves to see themselves reflected in their classroom library and that every child benefits from diverse children's book offerings. Second, The MGA community supported our family when Charlotte died in 2017 and continues to be an important part of our grief support system. Finally, Charlotte's older brothers are students at Monarch Global and we know that she would have been too!

All proceeds from this fundraiser will go toward purchasing books from our Book Drive's Amazon Wish List (coming soon!) for MGA Classroom Libraries.

If you are interested in contributing new or gently used books directly to the project, please mail to:

Charlotte's Purpose
#812
14625 Baltimore Avenue
Laurel, MD 20707