The Bridges We Build: Stories of Kindness and Community

By Gettysburg Mayor Alison Lintal

During my first six months as Mayor of Gettysburg, I have had the privilege of attending many events and meeting lots of folks in our community. People have asked me how it has been to serve as Gettysburg’s mayor. It has been more rewarding than I ever imagined.

I have been listening and observing. I have been making connections where I can. I see you, Gettysburg. The triumphs and the loss, the suffering and the joy, the frustrations and the fulfillment.

To see another person well enough is to know where small but meaningful impacts can be made in their daily lives. We at the local level have a superpower because we can see each other fully. It is a small community. Many know each other. No one is a stranger and we have to work together to accomplish our shared goals. Until state and federal lawmakers start to see the humans who are impacted by their policy decisions and their programs, their funds will continue to miss us.

The Borough of Gettysburg as well as Adams County have proclaimed November 7-14, 2026, as Kindness Week. This is part of a movement initiated by Kevin Smith, Gettysburg College alumnus and York County resident, after a Good Samaritan returned his lost wallet. Gettysburg College students have recently created their own chapter of Kindness Worldwide.

Kindness can sometimes seem trite. Like it doesn’t matter. Or that it matters so much it is presumed it would be at the center of what we do. So why does it need a special celebration? Kindness helps us to build faith in each other. It leads to healing and understanding. Understanding that we are not alone. Understanding that we are part of something greater than ourselves — a community that cares.

Residents are encouraged to participate in Kindness Week by sharing stories of kindness from the greater Gettysburg community or nominating a neighbor for a Kindness Commendation Award. People are invited to share stories about kindness and how it affected them. Select stories may be highlighted by local media outlets as a means of uplifting the good in our community. A local playwright is also interested in turning these stories of kindness into a documentary theatre production to be staged locally. What better way to celebrate these ordinary everyday acts in our community that turn out to be the most important moments.

Stories are being collected by Mayor Alison Lintal through this online form. Submissions are being accepted in both English and Spanish.

The deadline to submit a kindness story or nominate someone for a Kindness Commendation Award is October 30, 2026. Awardees will be announced and celebrated the week of November 7-14, 2026.

Residents may choose to share their stories anonymously or may consent to having their stories shared publicly. The purpose of this campaign is to uplift and recognize these important moments in our community that are integral to making Gettysburg the special place that it is. These are the stories that connect us.

Too often, we focus on the negative or the sensational news. That’s what gets the most clicks and likes on social media. Stories on the national level are crafted to elicit an us versus them reaction where people feel compelled to make a choice or to align themselves with a particular outcome. This divisiveness only serves to separate us more from one another. At the local level, however, you get to know your neighbor and the members of your community. They are people with stories just like you. The differences don’t become as much of an obstacle to working towards the common good in your community. When you recognize the whole person, there can be more appreciation for the nuance in making decisions and navigating choices and conflicts.

Does that mean that being in community is always easy? Of course not. Public values and interests can and do remain in conflict. People might have different ideas about what is best. Ultimately though, we have to learn to work and live together at the local level because we are in community together. We are not isolated. We may not have all the funding from the federal and state level to serve those most vulnerable in our community. So we band together to create local solutions through charitable donations and a service-oriented spirit. People here want to help the people in Gettysburg and Adams County. As Iain Gilchrest says, “The attention you bring to the world, changes the world you find.” Let’s take a moment to recognize and value the kindness of our neighbors, and move forward together.

Featured image: Hannah Busing/Unsplash