2024 in Ohio is going to be different. A total eclipse of the sun will happen in April. (Sorry, you must travel to the northwest to see it.) But it's also a leap year - giving us an extra day on the calendar.

As we did in 2020, the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce wants to put that extra day to good use. We ask you to join the Leap of Kindness movement by observing one on Leap Day 2024, Feb. 29, 2024.

Many would say, “Shouldn’t we always be kind?” The answer is an obvious “yes.” However, this is an opportunity to use our unity to show love for those who collectively may feel underappreciated. Yellow Day, celebrated in Chillicothe each May, is a similar chance to spread kindness.

Leap of Kindness Day was created in 2016 by the Saratoga (N.Y.) Chamber of Commerce and several Chambers nationwide joined the movement to spread kindness across their community. In short, Leap of Kindness intends to inspire and facilitate everyone doing something for someone else.

On the first Leap of Kindness Day, 50 Chambers in 30 states participated. In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was emerging, more than 200 communities in the U.S., Canada, and Ireland helped to serve others.

Among the ideas generated were cooking a meal for our first responders, collecting essential items for non-profits, doing canned food drives for food pantries, or something as simple as having students write a thank you card to someone they love.

What will you do with an extra day on Thursday, Feb. 29? We invite you to jump on the train and bring some light into lives across our community. So, what can you do?

• Employers can use Leap of Kindness Day to build employee morale, focusing on kindness and community. Please share the information with employees and support their efforts to participate.
• For our non-profit members and friends, send what you might need or ways the community can help your agency. For example, if your agency needs food, clothing, or personal care items as part of its mission, let's plan a drive for those items to help you stock the shelves. Please send your ideas to me at mthrone@chillicotheohio.com. Maybe your staff and volunteers need a little boost – what about having thank you notes written to them by local students or others?
• Teachers and school employees could use a pick-me-up as well. How about writing encouraging notes and sharing them the day before, Friday, Feb. 28?
• Seniors living in assisted living often need a boost. A small bouquet, a note, or a personal visit can make their day.
• Money helps all non-profits. Organize a fundraiser – as small as a penny drive or as much as a specific fundraiser for a big project – to support your favorite organization.
• Our furry friends need a boost, too. Contact the Humane Society and see what they need, then do a drive to get the food or supplies they need to run their operations.
• Or maybe you have an idea of your own … let's talk and see if we can make it happen.

We see it as the perfect precursor to the amazing display of kindness we see in our annual Yellow Day, which will show our love all over again in May.

Let's use our extra day for good! Let's show Ross County our love for others! Join us for Leap of Kindness on Feb. 29.

(Mike Throne is the president and CEO of the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce and the Feels Like Home podcast co-host, available where you can find your podcasts. Contact him at mthrone@chillicotheohio.com.)