Residents Get ‘Ladybugged’ in Town’s First Show of Kindness, Community Parade

Burlington students and families are getting "ladybugged" this month — and it’s all in the name of kindness.

Through the new “Get Ladybugged” program, students who perform acts of kindness are being recognized with ladybug lawn signs, creating a visible celebration of compassion throughout town. Families who donate to local nonprofit HELPIS — Help Me Help Someone Inc. — can also receive a ladybug. All participants are invited to bring their ladybugs to Burlington’s first-ever Kindness Parade on May 18, turning the Town Common into a colorful showcase of community spirit.

“We’re celebrating their good actions and building a culture of empathy that can last a lifetime,” said Joyce Deliyiannis, founder of HELPIS.

The parade, a partnership between HELPIS and Burlington Public Schools, is the highlight of the newly designated Month of Kindness. It will feature music, kindness-themed activities, local nonprofits, and a children’s parade, along with the "Get Ladybugged" fundraiser honoring those who make a difference.

The idea took off when Francis Wyman Elementary School reached out to Deliyiannis for more ways to connect students to community service. Working with Assistant Superintendent Lisa Chen and Director of Mental Health Christine Conceison, Deliyiannis helped expand the vision into a town-wide event.

“It’s a time to pause and recognize students, teachers, and school communities for their compassion and to inspire even more of it, ” said Deliyiannis.

Gloria Wojtaszek, Burlington’s Director of Family & Community Engagement, joined with Julie Conley, an administrative assistant at Francis Wyman, and Karen Hoyt, an ESL teacher, to help bring the Kindness Parade to life.

“We created a vision of acknowledging acts of kindness through our schools. Students could be nominated, faculty could be nominated, staff could be nominated. Our information was sent out to all the principals, but also sent out to all the families,” said Wojtaszek. 

Wojtaszek, who previously spent 19 years as a school counselor, began collaborating with Deliyiannis earlier this school year to support Burlington families in need through HELPIS’s network of volunteers.

“I reach out to Joyce with a request, and she’s able to help. She sends it to her network of wonderful humans who say, ‘I’ll get clothing for this family,’” Wojtaszek said. “I go to her home and pick it up. It’s amazing.”

Their work together inspired the larger celebration of kindness taking shape this spring. Planning began in November, with the event’s management board now meeting twice a month to organize all the moving parts.

Beyond recognizing individual acts, the event is also bringing together local organizations, including the Burlington Food Pantry, to spotlight the power of collective kindness.

“By partnering with educators, families, and local organizations, we can continue growing this movement,” Deliyiannis said. “The vision is to make kindness something we live every day — not just something we highlight in May.”

Deliyiannis hopes the celebration will ripple beyond Burlington. She envisions more schools across Massachusetts — and eventually across the country — adopting the Month of Kindness each May.

The vision is to bring together with the schools and the community all the kind and good out into the open, to recognize it, celebrate it, and let it inspire even more,”  said Deliyiannis, because, “When kindness is visible, it becomes contagious." 

Ella Rogerson is a student studying journalism at Endicott College.