Boys & Girls Clubs Unveil ‘Kindness Is Free’ Float for 2024 Rose Parade, Spreading a Global Message of Compassion and Respect

The Boys & Girls Clubs of West San Gabriel Valley and Eastside will debut their inaugural float in the 2024 Rose Parade presented by Honda on Jan. 1, 2024. The float, themed “Kindness Is Free,” aims to inspire a global audience with its message of compassion and respect.

The float, designed by Artistic Entertainment Services, features a whimsical elephant showing kindness to a mouse seeking shelter from the New Year’s Day sunshine. Alongside this heartwarming duo, 35 Boys & Girls Club members and staff will march, spreading the message of kindness.

“We aim to inspire individuals nationwide to join us in promoting kindness and help cultivate compassion, inclusivity, and respect among the next generation of youth,” Josué Arias, chief kindness officer of West San Gabriel Valley and Eastside Boys & Girls Club (WSGVBGC), said. 

The Kindness Is Free initiative, powered by Boys & Girls Clubs, began as a local Southern California project led by Lori Milgard and WSGVBGC CEO JR Dzubak. The initiative provides tools and engagements to shape the next generation’s values, emphasizing the importance of kindness in improving social and emotional behavior and creating safer communities.

Since its launch, the Kindness Is Free campaign has evolved into a national movement, with over 23,000 individuals who have taken the Kindness Pledge, 97 Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide participating in the program, and 47 businesses and organizations committed to kindness. 

School districts across Southern California are integrating the Kindness Is Free curriculum into their systems, and the Kindness Is Free street team is pledging individuals at Kindness Pop-Up events and conferences.

The 2024 Kindness is Free float will feature staff representatives from WSGVBGC and Boys & Girls Clubs of America, as well as Boys & Girls Club members ages 10 to 17 years old representing 10 school districts across Southern California. 

The students, chosen by their schools as official kindness ambassadors, represent districts including Los Angeles Unified School District, Alhambra Unified School District, and Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, among others.

For more information about Kindness is Free and how to get involved, visit www.kindnessisfree.org/