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Lady Gaga's Foundation Chooses Local Lady as West Virginia's Only Channel Kindness Reporter

By Trina Runner on April 16, 2017 via Connect-Bridgeport.com

Once Krystian Leonard learned that she could use her physical scars to help heal others, she sat down and wrote her award-winning children’s book, Shining SCARS, in 15 minutes.  Her grandmother did the watercolor illustrations and her mother uploaded it into a book on Snapfish and the rest, as they say, is history.  The connections to family, the way she was willing to turn around a potentially negative characteristic, and the way in which she serves children all over the world were just some of the reasons she was recently chosen to be West Virginia’s only Channel Kindness reporter. 
 
The program is an extension of Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation and challenges those who were chosen to see kindness in the world and report on it using various platforms.  Leonard, who graduated from Robert C. Byrd High School and now attends WVU, did her first story on Dalton Hogue. 
 
As a current student at her former high school, Hogue caught Leonard’s attention when she read about the work he was doing with Beauty for Ashes Uganda, an organization that empowers widows and families in Africa with the resources and tools to rise up out of poverty in sustainable projects. 
 
“Dalton spoke with school groups, created a Go Fund Me page, and organized a backpack drive to help people all the way on the other side of the world,” said Leonard.  “When it came to finding a kindness project on which to do my first report, he was an easy choice.  He is making such a difference in both local and the global citizenship.”
 
The 50 people chosen as Channel Kindness reporters are encouraged to find stories celebrating people who are making a positive difference in the world.  Some reporters are using traditional written stories, while other, like Leonard, are using video stories so viewers can truly see the impact of the subjects.  The Channel Kindness website was launched last week and will rotate through the reporters’ submissions, featuring around 25 stories per month. 
 
“I just found out I was chosen for Channel Kindness in December,” said Leonard, who was nominated to be a reporter by Tony Scruggs, a resident of Los Angelos known as “The Empathy Guy” for his work promoting compassion and connectivity.  “He had seen my Ted Talks, followed me on Twitter and knew how I used my non-profit organization, Shining SCARS to empower those who struggle with emotional and physical issues.  He contacted me to let me know he had nominated me and, for months, I didn’t hear anything.  In December, I received the notification I had been the only one chosen in our state and I was beyond thrilled!”
 
The reporters gathered for an intensive training session in February in New York City with representatives for the Born This Way Foundation, including West Virginia native Cindy Germanotta, Lady Gaga’s mother.
 
“She actually called me out and told everyone that she grew up in West Virginia and was a head cheerleader at WVU,” said Leonard.
 
As a kindness advocate for years, Leonard was right at home with her new position.  Using pageants as a launching pad, she has 
raised awareness of self-acceptance through appearances around the nation and her book is now in over 13 countries.  After recently giving up her reign as Miss Three Rivers Festival, she is now focused on her journalism studies at WVU, modeling and continuing her mission of letting children know they are not alone, regardless of their circumstances.
 
“I have worked with Students Against Destructive Decisions, Cuddles for Clefts, the Humane Society, burn centers, and school systems in order to promote kindness to others and to ourselves,” she said.  “Channel Kindness will give me another opportunity to give a voice to the cause and to highlight the amazing stories of kindness among all the bad news in the world.”
 
The Channel Kindness reporters are ages 16-24 and serve one year documenting acts of generosity, compassion and acceptance that define their generation.  Lady Gaga started the initiative to give youth a “platform to transform the world through kindness, one act a time.”  Noting that today’s young people are passionate about driving change, Channel Kindness can be used as a tool to inspire and call others to action.
 
Although Leonard has been in the public eye since winning her first pageant at the age of 14, this new chapter has elevated her opportunities to be the voice of those who often get overshadowed amongst all the stories that focus on the negative.
 
“As a Channel Kindness reporter, I am excited to travel and meet people from all walks of life who, through selflessness and compassion, demonstrate the very best of humanity,” she said. “Everyone can make the decision to help others and I look forward to highlighting those who have made that decision.”


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