Martin Luther King, Jr. lived decades before 2012. But one of his memorable quotes embodies the spirit of the international movement known as the Compassion Games: “Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be first in love. I want you to be first in moral excellence. I want you to be first in generosity.” In a world that usually feels more like the Hunger Games, this movement is an anomaly. But it’s catchy, and it’s growing.
The games began as a community challenge between Louisville, Ky. and Seattle in 2012. The mayors of each city challenged each other to see which one could be the most compassionate.
The idea took off — from the original two teams in 2012, it grew to 19 teams in 2013, and 159 in 2014. The idea is novel in its simplicity — do a bunch of good things, and try to do them more than other people to win points. Ways to win points include random acts of kindness, community service projects, Compassion All-Stars (this project includes nomination of someone else as a compassionate person) and the 9/11 Day Good Deed Challenge, among others.
Spokane’s Compassion games have been sponsored since 2014 by One Peace, Many Paths (OPMP), a local interfaith organization. About 21 teams are confirmed this year, according to Joan Broeckling, Compassion Games coordinator and co-director at OPMP.
Participating organizations include the West Central Episcopal Mission, Transitions, Peace and Justice Action League, the NAACP, Catholic Charities, All Saints Lutheran Church and Meals on Wheels, among others.
Playing is easy
“One of the unique things about the Compassion Games is that there are an infinite number of ways to participate,” Broeckling said. “Individuals can ‘play’ simply by showing kindness and compassion at work, in their homes, as they drive, or as they walk down the street.”
Groups can also get involved by signing up for service projects or acts of kindness — local governments can even participate, Broeckling said, by ‘choosing to claim compassion as a yardstick to guide their policies and decisions.’ It’s not a far-fetched idea — the games began as a competition between two municipal governments.
This year, OPMP received a $1,000 grant from Compassion Games International, and they’re working with West Central Episcopal Mission to put together 300 ‘care kits’ for homeless Spokane residents, Broeckling said. The kits include toiletries, snacks and socks — in-demand items that local shelters often run out of. They’re also donating extra socks to Operation Spokane Heroes and Soldiers’ Angels, two organizations that aid homeless veterans. They’ve also received donations from Willamette Dental, Delta Dental and the Spokane County Health District.
More than a handout
West Central Episcopal Mission is partnering with Broeckling’s organization to host a dessert and game night Sept. 15, and they’re also hosting closing ceremonies Sept. 20, where people are invited to help assemble care kits, said the Rev. Kris Christensen, executive director with the mission.
The ‘grassroots approach and inclusive nature’ of the games drew her in as a new partner this year, Christensen said, but she’d like to see the dialogue go even further — she encourages participants to reexamine their views on compassion and make sure the servers understand they can get something out of service projects, too. She’s excited about the mission’s events, the game night and closing ceremonies, because they’re about building community between groups who might not otherwise know each other.
“I would love to help broaden the conversation about what compassion really is and how that could be reflected in the Compassion Games,” she said. “Fostering that kind of one-on-one engagement — actually looking the recipient of your compassion in the eye and encountering the possibility that they have compassion for you -that’s where the world begins to change.”
The games began Friday with an opening ceremony at 7 p.m. at All Saints Lutheran Church, featuring live music, a resource fair and speakers Kris Christenson, executive director at West Central Episcopal Mission, and Omy K, a survivor of genocide in Rwanda, who now works to support orphans and street kids. The event is free, and food donations are accepted for Northwest Harvest.
[box type=”info” align=”” class=”” width=”200″]If you go: When: September 11, 7 p.m. (Games run September 11-September 21) Where: All Saints Lutheran Church, 314 Spruce Street Cost: Free, donations accepted for NW Harvest Contact information: (509) 536-2811, http://compassiongames.org/spokane-wa/[/box]
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