- [Thaddeus] My name is Thaddeus Seymour.
I'm the 12th president of Rollins College.
I'd like also to introduce my wife Polly Seymour.
- Two of the kindest, most wonderful people I've ever met.
They touched so many different organizations in our town.
- Deeply engaged in the community of Winter Park.
- They never wanted any accolades. It is in their DNA.
- When we moved here,
we got to know them first
as the former president and president's wife.
And before we knew who they were
and the kind of impact that they had in the community.
- Thad and poly,
it just came from such a genuine place.
Their spirit was like a wellspring of kindness.
- On October 26th 2019,
President Seymour passed away the age of 91.
- He was one of my best friends.
- He was this amazing, very kind,
very gentle soul.
It is fitting for us to continue to honor his legacy.
- I do you live in Seymour Hall
in the Lakeside apartments.
So I feel a responsibility
to continue his legacy of kindness and service.
- We live this mission of kindness
and service every day
through the Rollins mission of responsible leadership
and global citizenship.
And bringing those characteristics back
to our community is so important.
- Thaddeus and Polly Seymour Acts of Kindness Day
was established as a special opportunity each year
for Rollins to honor
Thad and Polly's legacy of compassion
and service on campus and throughout Central Florida.
- And so, we've really tried to be intentional
about creating a day of engagement,
a day of service, a day of community.
That no matter where you are in the world,
you can take part in.
- The reason we celebrate
Thaddeus and Polly Seymour Acts of Kindness Day
on February 17th
is because this day is recognized
nationally as Random Acts of Kindness Day.
We know that this day is gonna continue
to gain more and more momentum
as we pay it forward through kindness
and compassion for our neighbors,
through service and love in our local
and global communities.
- We're going to ring the chapel bells
12 times in significance
since he was the 12th president at Rollins College.
And we're going to continue to honor and involve Polly--
- She is ever excited about this whole day of kindness.
- Each year there will be a series of events
and opportunities on campus,
including hands-on service projects
and off-campus projects,
with partners Thad and Polly supported
like Habitat for Humanity of Winter Park-Maitland.
- We ended up starting
the Winter Park-Maitland affiliate together.
We had an interest and a passion
for affordable housing opportunities in our community.
- They were building homes for people who didn't have homes
or Polly's passion was the library
and making it possible for people to get books
and to learn to read.
- One of the reasons why I serve
as a trustee member at the Winter Park Public Library
is because of Thad and Polly's influence on me.
- On campus you might even observe
faculty and staff recognizing acts of kindness
with silver dollars.
Just like Thad did.
- Whenever he saw a student doing something
that was motivated and civic minded,
he would just give them a silver dollar.
And so that became then famous,
people would seek out these silver dollars.
I have some of Thad's silver dollars.
I should be giving them out, but I really cherish them.
- We want all students, faculties, staff,
and alumni to join us on February 17th
as we engage in acts of service and kindness
here on campus and in our local communities.