Be kind, and dine

Being kind is the new cool.

That's the message at Goodwill Manasota, which launched a campaign called Kindness Community last year in a partnership with Jacqueline Moore, the immediate past mayor of North Port, in south Sarasota County. More than 10,000 people have since signed the campaign's Kindness Pledge. (Check out and sign the pledge atexperiencegoodwill.org/community/kindness-community.)

To further spread the kind word, Goodwill will host a summer luncheon/speaker series with some top area executives, who will talk about the program and why it helps their company or organization. The schedule includes:

• June 23, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Goodwill Corporate Campus, 2705 51st Ave. E., Bradenton. Speakers include Cool Today/Plumbing Today President Jaime DiDomenico; Publix Community Relations Manager Brian West; and Margarita Valenzula, who owns a Sarasota Culver's.
• July 28, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Goodwill North Port, 14879 Tamiami Trail, North Port. Speakers include Alicia Accardi with Sticky Fingers Studio; Tina Rae Gregoire with Achievements Learning Center; and Valenzula.
• Aug. 11, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Goodwill Mecca, 5150 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Speakers include Re/Max Alliance Group broker and co-owner Peter Crowley, who also chairs the Goodwill Manasota board; Jason Gaskill, partner-in-charge of the Sarasota office of law firm Adams and Reese; and PGT Industries Chairman and CEO Rod Hershberger.

For more information or to RSVP to the lunches, call (941) 355-2721, Ext. 104.