SECU, Maryland's largest state-chartered credit union, celebrates the start of Kindness Connects, its third annual, month-long kindness campaign, on Oct. 1. Through Kindness Connects, SECU aims to positively impact communities throughout Maryland by inspiring 250,000 acts of kindness - one act in honor of each SECU member - while furthering the mission of the SECU MD Foundation and initiatives that support education, health and wellness, and community development.

Throughout October, employees, members and partners, as well as the greater community, are encouraged to be kind and inspire others to do the same via SECU’s Kindness Kits. Learn more at www.secukindness.org.

"Since launching our first Kindness Campaign three years ago, we have seen the transformative impact that kindness can have on our communities," said Becky Smith, EVP and Chief Strategy & Growth Officer for SECU and President of the SECU MD Foundation. "Although often unseen or uncelebrated, kindness is what brings us together and can have a long-lasting impact."

Throughout October, employees, members and partners, as well as the greater community, are encouraged to be kind and inspire others to do the same via SECU's Kindness Kits. Each complimentary Kindness Kit comes with inspirational ideas and items meant to spark acts of kindness within the community, including postcards, flower seeds and kindness stickers. Request a Kindness Kit online or pick up a kit at a local SECU Financial Center, while supplies last, and download a Virtual Kindness Kitfor more ideas on how to spread positivity.

For every Kindness Kit requested, the SECU MD Foundation will donate $5 - up to $50,000 total - to its long-standing charity partners Special Olympics Maryland, a nonprofit providing year-round, life-changing sports training and competition for individuals with intellectual disabilities, and Kennedy Krieger Institute, an internationally recognized nonprofit in the greater Baltimore and Washington, D.C. area that aims to improve the lives of children, adolescents and adults with neurological, rehabilitative or developmental needs through inpatient and day hospital programs, outpatient clinics, home and community services, education, and research.

Additional events and activities have been organized to encourage employees, members and partners to promote even more kindness:

• Day of Kindness - Approximately 400 SECU employees will gather to perform 100,000 acts of kindness during a company-wide Day of Kindness on Monday, October 10. Held at SECU Arena at Towson University, employees will engage in various acts of kindness for 15 nonprofit partners from around Maryland, such as creating blankets for hospital patients, packing healthy snacks for high-poverty children and making dog toys for animal shelters.

• Financial Center In-Kind Donations - SECU's financial centers will provide in-kind donations, totaling $26,000 of needed supplies to their local communities, organizations and nonprofits, including school and clothing items for youth, care packages for veterans and non-perishable foods for food banks.

• School Partnerships - SECU is excited to partner with area schools who will be participating in the month-long initiative as an opportunity to teach students the importance of kindness and the profound impact it can have.

To help SECU reach its goal, acts of kindness can be submitted online at secukindness.org where there is a live tally. Help spread the positive movement across Maryland and beyond and keep up with all the good deeds via #SECUKindness.