In Tribute To the Late, Beloved Roger Ebert, A 'Day for Empathy' Established In Chicago #CHICAGO, April 4, 2018 /@PRNewswire/ -- It's a #thumbsup—way up in Chicago this week as rogerebert.com, and the Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation will firmly establish the inaugural Day4Empathy in the city. Wednesday, April 4th marks the solemn fifth anniversary of the celebrated film critic and author's untimely death, and to that end the #Day4Empathy has been declared in tribute, to reinforce the late #RogerEbert's embrace of the universal concepts of #empathy, and his staunch belief in the necessity of humility, compassion and paying acts of kindness forward. "The Day4Empathy is a call-to-action for more of the good in each of us to show up in our everyday interactions with other people, in our work, study and play—creating a better community and drawing each one of us closer to our own best selves," says #ChazEbert, Roger's widow and co-founder and chair of the Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation. "Part of the goal of our celebration is to ignite an ongoing, citywide conversation about the transformative nature of Ebert's compass of values in today's divisive landscape—and issue a loud and resounding call-to-action. "We want to establish this celebration here, in my home city, and have it move from Chicago across the state, even nationwide ultimately," she continues. "And on this 50th year anniversary of the death of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I am mindful of Dr. King's admonition that the time is always right, to do what is right." The late Roger Ebert's life, work and success was guided by his deeply rooted moral compass which embraced empathy, kindness, compassion and forgiveness as a way of life. The Day4Empathy will include the #citywidedistribution of kindness cards and bracelets by Day4Empathy ambassadors, encouraging people to perform #actsofkindness, while acknowledging and #payingforward kindnesses shown to them. There are also plans for a #mediatour, an empathy truck, and to introduce a #creativeexpression project in partnership with the Chicago #PublicSchools, presenting ten $1,000 awards to young people for the best interpretations—in any medium—
