Sometimes the kindest things we think about someone are the hardest to say out loud. Maybe we’re looking for the right words, or maybe the moment passes before we find them. Writing a note gives us a little more time to say what we mean.

That’s the idea behind Milford’s Kindness Tree. Larrya Wall put it up to give students a place to thank someone or recognize a kind gesture in a note they could share with others.

The project began in October, when a colleague shared the Ohio School Safety Center’s October Kindness Campaign with Wall. Inspired by Kindland’s national United States of Kindness movement, the statewide campaign encouraged schools to try activities that help students feel seen, valued and connected. A Kindness Tree was one of the suggested activities. Schools could earn points by participating, and buildings that reached 250 points could be recognized as one of Ohio’s Kindest Schools.

Students still stop by the tree to leave notes. Wall said some come by when they’re having a hard day. Taking a moment to write something kind about someone else, she said, can help them shift their focus.

One Milford student was so excited about the tree that she asked to share the notes over the school intercom. For a couple of weeks, she read her own messages aloud along with notes written by others.

Wall hopes to bring the project to the broader Milford community. She’s exploring ways for community members to share the kind gestures they see and help record 250 acts of kindness in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

In the meantime, students can still stop by the tree, think of something kind someone did and make sure it gets noticed.