On Sunday, November 12, six businesses in Middleburg are participating in a grassroots celebration of World Kindness Day. It's simple: just stop in at any of the shops and meet the Kindness Ambassadors, share kind ideas, and choose your Random Act of Kindness from the board. No entry fee. No donations. Just a kind smile.

Here's the list of where and when you will find Kindness Ambassadors: from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Middleburg Common Grounds (114 W. Washington St) and Second Chapter Books (101 W. Washington St); from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Artists In Middleburg (102 W. Washington St), Imagine A Holistic Approach (15 S. Madison St), and Kriser's Natural Pet (5 E. Washington St - formerly Wylie Wagg); and at Highcliffe Clothiers (112 W. Washington St) from noon to 3 p.m.

Cindy Battino of Transformational Healing is behind World Kindness Day in Middleburg, thanks to her son, Blake Seidel, who graduated from UVA and danced with the Charlottesville Ballet for nearly three years. He was horrified about the incident in Charlottesville, but it became personal when he learned that two of his good friends were in the group of people hit by the driver.

"Blake called me from Lithuania where he's dancing with the Aura Dance Company and asked me to do something good for the world," said Battino. "I came up with Kindness Day."

Battino was amazed when a Google search brought up World Kindness Day, which is being celebrated officially on Monday, November 13. She decided that it would be better to observe Kindness Day on a Sunday.

World Kindness Day is an international event that was observed for the first time on November 13, 1998, by the World Kindness Movement (WKM), a coalition of kindness NGOs, representing 27 nations. It's a movement with no political or religious affiliation. The WKM's goal is to foster goodwill to all via random acts of kindness.

In the USA, WKD is the hallmark of the Be Kind People Project and Life Vest Inside. Both organizations offer interactive websites and ways to encourage kindness as part of every child's development.

The host businesses are located in close proximity on the main drag, Washington Street (Route 50) with one exception on Federal, notable as the crossroad for Middleburg's only traffic light. Each business will display the poster for World Kindness Day in Middleburg in their windows. Visitors unfamiliar with Middleburg can get directions to each location via their mobile devices, by stopping in at any business with that distinctive poster in the window, and by accessing this story online. One nice aspect of visiting this small town is how lovely it is to walk everywhere.

"It is our goal to inspire many random acts of kindness in our area the day of November 12 and the week that follows," said Battino. "There really is a World Kindness Day and there really is a Science to Kindness. We are not asking anyone to be a superhero and save the world — a smile to a stranger will more than do."

For those who like inspiring quotes, here's one that hits the proverbial nail on the head. Credit goes to the late, great Sir Charles Chaplin, Knight of the British Empire (1889-1977), English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the silent film era of the early 20th century.

"We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanities. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness."

- Charlie Chaplin

Mark your calendars: Middleburg on Sunday, November 12, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. — a low-key and timely celebration of goodwill, of peace on earth – a movement that can make a real difference in the world, one random act of kindness at a time.