As part of Random Acts of Kindness Week, the Galt Youth Commission hosted a pizza-and-drinks lunch at Galt High for special needs students.

Random Acts of Kindness Week, celebrated this year Feb. 11-17, has been a long-time project of the Galt Youth Commission, said vice chair Alexa Murillo Cuevas.

“Since the Random Acts of Kindness Week was nearing and the Youth Commission has almost always participated in this week in the past,” Murillo Cuevas said, “we began sourcing ideas from each other in the monthly meeting early in the (school) year.”

Commissioner Kayson Jones took charge of the project, Murillo Cuevas said.

““He brought to the meeting a detailed agenda for the (Random Acts of Kindness) week, a list of businesses to be contacted and treasury reports,” Murillo Cuevas said. “Jones was truly the backbone of this entire project as he was the one to call in the pizza for the two SCOE lunches, clear plans with two school admins, and figure out budgets for the entire week.”

Jones said the project is important as a way to recognize special needs students and the teaching staff who work with them.

“To be honest,” Jones said, “I feel like we don’t give a lot of love to our special needs students and our aides and teachers who put a lot of work in, and have the patients to do a lot of work. I feel it is just good to give them some attention, make friends in the community and give back.”

The commission also took on other activities as part of the project, Murillo Cuevas said, including writing and delivering messages to the local police and fire departments and city council members, and purchasing donuts and coffees for a senior citizens bingo game.

The lunch went smoothly, Jones said.

“I’m pretty proud of myself,” he said. “We were able to do it (the activities for the week) successfully with minimal hiccups. I was really excited because I didn’t get to do much last year with the Commission, and … I’m glad this is going well.”

The special needs students and their aides appreciated the lunch, said aide Diane Kaufman.

“It’s nice that they’re reaching out to us because it’s nice for the kids to have some other people that they can reach out to because sometimes their circles are small,” Kaufman said. “So it’s nice to see other people come in and get to know them, and to be able to see them socialize.”

During the event, special needs student Ethan Taylor had a simple message for the Commission for putting the lunch together.

“It was good,” Taylor said. “Thank you.”