SAN FERNANDO VALLEY, Calif. — Making a heart into a gift is just one craft 11-year-old Cesar Villa Arias is working on with his new friend Alexander Delgado.

Cesar has Down Syndrome and when asked who he plans to give his new card to, he said his friend.

Cesar and Alexander are not only creating but learning to communicate, although Cesar’s verbal communication is limited.

“Even if you don’t know how, like if there’s a language barrier, there’s always a way to talk to somebody,” said Alexander, who is a senior at  Mission Continuation High School in San Fernando.

Cesar is a student at the nearby San Fernando Middle School.

Cesar and Alexander are taking part in a campaign called Kindness Starts with Me in LAUSD’s Region North Schools, which serves the San Fernando Valley.

The goal is to foster a culture of kindness, care, acceptance and inclusion.

Alexander said the reason he’s taking part is so much bigger than him. He came to Mission Continuation High School so he could graduate early, start working and help support his two-year-old son. 

Alexander hopes the kindness campaign is a way to be an example to his son.

“I’ll be able to provide him with a good communication skill toward people with disabilities so he’s not afraid or embarrassed to talk to people,”  he said. 

Judy Hernandez is Cesar’s teacher and remembers an incident where her brother, who has special needs, was bullied. It’s a memory that inspired her to become a special education teacher. 

She says she knew it was wrong and felt the need to “help our children with disabilities speak out for themselves and also just feel comfortable to be part of the community.”

Hernandez adds campaigns like this one help prevent issues like bullying.

Each month, the Kindness Starts with Me team, which is made up of educators in the San Fernando Valley, provides schools with tools including activity ideas that can build community and social awareness.