Most people are unaware of the years of connection-building and cultivation required to launch a community movement such as the Compassionate Cities Initiative, now underway in Fort Myers. Few individuals invest the time needed to forge meaningful relationships with a diverse coalition of local leaders—mayors, city officials, school superintendents and board members—as well as organizations like the League of Women Voters and engaged citizens. Yet such efforts are possible when driven by a deep commitment to the community in which one lives and works.

Much like a singer who appears to achieve overnight success with a hit song, community initiatives such as Compassionate SWFL do not simply emerge. The social soil must first be carefully cultivated.

Charter for Compassion: National and Global

The Compassionate Cities initiative, including Compassionate SWFL, is rooted in the Charter for Compassion, which grew out of a 2009 TED Prize awarded to Karen Armstrong. She used her award to call for the creation, cultivation, and global adoption of a Charter for Compassion.

The Charter was officially unveiled at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., and at the United Nations, accompanied by more than 75 launch events worldwide. It has since been endorsed by prominent figures, including the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Florida’s Signatories

Today, more than 121 cities—including Florida’s St. Augustine, Orlando, and St. Petersburg—have signed and affirmed the Charter, reflecting a growing sense of empowerment and shared responsibility to foster cooperation and civic engagement.

Far from being an abstract ideal, compassion takes shape in streets, schools, businesses, healthcare systems, and local organizations—wherever people connect. Strong, connected communities are better equipped to face challenges together, support one another, and cultivate a shared culture of care.

The k20 Kindness Summit 2026 at FGCU: May 14–17

A global gathering focused on how kindness can be embedded into systems, communities, and everyday life, the k20 Kindness Summit at Florida Gulf Coast University will bring together leaders, educators, and changemakers. The summit will feature talks exploring how kindness informs leadership, culture, and performance, as well as interactive sessions designed to inspire action and strengthen communities.

Keynote speaker Brian McLaren, author of Life After Doom: Wisdom & Courage for a World Falling Apart, will headline the event, which also marks the launch of the “Kindness Without Borders” initiative. Compassionate SWFL is an extension of that effort.

In recent decades, research into the science of kindness has shifted the conversation from a “feel-good” concept to a rigorous field of study, demonstrating measurable physiological and psychological benefits for those who practice it. See event spotlight on page 14.

FGCU Professor Maria Roca, PhD

Maria Roca, PhD, director of the Roots of Compassion and Kindness (ROCK) Institute at FGCU, is a core member of the team leading the Compassionate SWFL movement. Over the past nine months, the group has met at various locations, including the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fort Myers, Quality of Life Center, Lee Health, Midwest Food Bank, FGCU, and the South County Regional Library.

The associate FGCU professor says the idea for a kindness summit was sparked by a conversation with Francesca Donlan, a ROCK Institute board member. “She told me she was committing to one act of kindness each day in 2025,” Roca recalls. “If every ROCK student and participant in Compassionate Fort Myers did 365 acts of kindness in a year, we would begin to create a more harmonious and caring community. Our hope is to inspire mayors from Cape Coral to Sanibel to become Compassionate Cities.”

Julian Rameriz, Executive Director, Quality of Life Center

Julian Ramirez says he was immediately drawn to the initiative after attending the first Compassionate SWFL meeting, which drew about 40 participants—many of them young people he had invited.

“Bill Petrarca, the driving force behind the initiative, approached me with the idea,” Rameriz says. “At the center, we had already implemented a curriculum called the Virtues Project, which outlines five strategies for building a virtuous culture. Over the past two years, I’ve focused heavily on virtues as foundational to character development. When Bill introduced Compassionate Fort Myers, I saw compassion as fully aligned with our work.”

Ramirez now helps organize monthly gatherings, which continue to attract new participants, as well as bi-monthly leadership council meetings.

Shannon Soffian, Special Projects, Quality of Life Center

Shannon Soffian describes the initiative’s structure as action-oriented, with multiple focus areas that meet regularly. These include Available Food Resources, Affordable and Accessible Mental Health Care, Housing, the One Race Coalition, Youth Programs and Education, Kindness and Compassion, Accessible Education, and Veterans’ Services.

“We’re even holding space for areas that don’t yet have participants, like the Veterans table,” Soffian says. “At our orientation table, newcomers receive an overview of the Charter for Compassion and the purpose of these community conversations, as well as updates on each group’s progress. If someone identifies a new need—such as domestic violence support, voter registration, or community parks—we can create a new action table.”

Soffian also tracks attendance and summarizes meetings. “We typically see between 40 and 50 participants, including both residents and representatives from community organizations,” she says.

Although Petrarca has relocated to California, Soffian notes that he remains actively involved and continues to provide guidance. “He’s even considering launching a similar initiative in Palm Springs,” she adds.

Bill Petrarca, Founder of Compassionate SWFL

Petrarca describes Compassionate SWFL as an organic, collaborative effort without a formal organizational structure. “Compassionate community initiatives must be shaped by the specific needs of the communities they serve,” he says.

He traces the initiative’s origins to concerns about growing political and ideological divisions following the last presidential election. “It was unhealthy from both a community and individual perspective,” Petrarca explains. “I began thinking about how to heal these divisions, which are often amplified by social media and political rhetoric.”

A timely email about the Charter for Compassion provided a turning point. “I had never heard of it before, but after researching it, I thought, ‘This might be the answer,’” he says.

Petrarca believes compassion is deeply embedded in human nature. Reflecting on how Floridians responded to recent hurricanes, he notes that people helped neighbors regardless of political or ideological differences. “That reinforced my belief that compassion is ‘love in action,’” he says. “It’s not just a feeling—it compels us to act.”

He emphasizes the importance of inclusive leadership, particularly the role of faith leaders, who often hold trusted positions within communities.

Sharon Joy Kleitsch, Founder of The Connection Partners

Petrarca credits Sharon Joy Kleitsch, founder of The Connection Partners in St. Petersburg, with influencing his approach. Kleitsch played a key role in helping St. Petersburg become a Compassionate City, with former Mayor Rick Kriseman signing the Charter proclamation on September 18, 2018.

A longtime community connector, Kleitsch has spent more than three decades building relationships across St. Petersburg’s civic landscape. She recalls the city’s World Café Conversations and Kriseman’s enthusiasm for the initiative.

“He spoke about it at U.S. Conference of Mayors meetings and other events in 2018,” Kleitsch says.

Kindness is a synonym for compassion, considered a profound expression of humanity that fosters human connection, communication and well-being, all the things that we need more of in today’s world.

Linda Sechrist has been an editor and senior staff writer with Natural Awakenings for more than 20 years. She is also a member of the Kindness Committee for Creating a Compassionate SWFL.

For more information on Compassionate Southwest Florida visit CompassionateSWFL.org.