The Kindness Calendar wins Rep. James McGovern’s (MA-02) 2020 Congressional App Challenge

When asked what inspired the creation of The Kindness Calendar, the students said, “We created The Kindness Calendar to bring a bit of positivity into the lives of everyone. We know that the pandemic, politics, and uncertain academic conditions have caused an increase in stress and a decrease in mental health. No one can completely understand what someone else is going through, but the best thing we can do as people is to be kind to one another, no matter the circumstances.”

Over 6,500 students registered for the 2020 Congressional App Challenge. These students created and submitted 3,088 functioning apps, marking the end of an extremely successful Congressional App Challenge amid the COVID-19 pandemic. All told, 308 Members of Congress hosted Congressional App Challenges in their districts across 49 states, Puerto Rico, the Mariana Islands, and Washington, DC.

The CAC is an initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives, where Members of Congress host competitions in their districts for middle school and high school students, encouraging them to learn to code and inspiring them to pursue careers in computer science. The Internet Education Foundation provides the CAC with supplemental support. In the six years of the Congressional App Challenge, thousands of functional apps have been created by over 30,000 students, and participant demographics surpass all industry diversity metrics.