Kindness through crayons and record-breaking

Discover Your World is the theme of the 2021 Guinness World Records edition along with this year’s GWR Day taking place on 18 November!

True discoveries are fueled by curiosity, challenging oneself, taking action, and in Sheila Morovati's case, leading with gratitude and kindness.

For Sheila, current record holder and founder of non-profit organizations Crayon Collection and Habits of Waste, these actions paved the way to her discovery of environmentalism and today she hopes to share her findings with individuals around the world while spreading kindness through crayons and beyond. 

“Every act of kindness ripples into the crevices of the world that are unseen but felt,” said Sheila in an exclusive interview with Guinness World Records.

Sheila reads to children

As a first generation Iranian American, Sheila experienced many transitions growing up with her family, who immigrated to the United States just before the 1979 Iranian Revolution. 

Applications for Guinness World Records Day 2020 are now open!  Find out how your brand, business, or organization can attempt an official Guinness World Records title on GWR Day (Wednesday 18 November) here, or contact us for more information.

“I think the many transitions I experienced with my family made me appreciate the little things (such as crayons) so much," Sheila explained. 

Crayons

After learning that restaurants were throwing away over 150 million crayons per year, never to decompose, Sheila launched her first organization, Crayon Collection, by connecting vulnerable schools with neighboring restaurants whereby schools would pick up an average of 3,000 crayons per month from each restaurant partner.

“I knew firsthand that so many children would dream of having those crayons that were instead headed for the trash.”

On 11 August 2018, Crayon Collection achieved its first official record title for the most crayons donated to charity in 8 hours, collecting over one million crayons for teachers in need of supplies.

Despite the success and far reaching impact of her first event, Sheila is preparing for her second record-breaking event, which is taking place virtually on 15 August.

Crayon Collection charity organization

The concept for her Kindness Event was conceived when Sheila heard a distressing story. 

“An ER doctor on the frontlines took her own life due to the overwhelming influx of COVID patients in her ward,” Sheila said.

“I felt so crushed by this that I contacted the hospital to see if there was anything we could do and they expressed that the thank you cards patients send in really uplift the doctors and nurses as they decorate their wards.”

Crayon Collection decided then that it would do something to come together collectively to write notes of gratitude and kindness to be sent to local hospitals.

“With the simple act of using crayons and paper to create an uplifting note, we can bring a smile to the face of a frontline hero who is working tirelessly to keep us safe.”

The Kindness Event will encourage people to write notes to frontline healthcare workers, attempting the official record title for the most photos of handwritten notes uploaded to Instagram in one hour.

Kindness Event

Sheila hopes attendees will “walk away feeling like their actions made a difference in this difficult time,” and has no doubt that “people are capable of amazing things.”

Organizations such as Google, Mattel, Penguin Random House, Thrive Global, Volunteer LA, and the Born This Way Foundation have joined Crayon Collection on its mission to help spread kindness as supporters of the event.

How will kindness fuel your next discovery?   

Applications for Guinness World Records Day 2020 are now open!  Find out how your brand, business, or organization can attempt an official Guinness World Records title on GWR Day (Wednesday 18 November) here, or contact us for more information.