Delaware girl who gave speech on kindness is finalist in national contest
"You never need permission to be kind," said 8-year-old Ariyana Kurpad.
WILMINGTON, Delaware (WPVI) -- An 8-year-old Wilmington, Delaware native is harnessing the power of her voice to share her mission to spread kindness.
"You're never too young to be kind, and kindness comes from the heart. You never need permission to be kind," said 8-year-old Ariyana Kurpad.
Ariyana is one of the top seven finalists in the National Kindness Speech Contest for kids ages 5 to 18 years old. She wrote and filmed a two-minute speech on kindness.
"With a small act of kindness, we can create a huge tsunami that will make the world better," said Ariyana in her video.
Sarina Pasricha, Ariyana's mother, says she couldn't be more proud of her daughter.
"I was not surprised because that's her nature to spread kindness and come up with projects and ideas to help other people," said Pasricha.
The final winner of the contest is determined by popular vote on June 17. Kurpad says if she wins the first-place prize of $500, she has plans for the money.
"I want to buy school supplies to children in need, like coloring pages, crayons, colored pencils, crafts," said Ariyana. "I made keychains for children in the hospital."
