Student athletes walk Chicago streets spreading acts of kindness

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Hundreds of high school athletes took a break from the field on Saturday to hand out random acts of kindness on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

A box of donuts for hungry firefighters. A few bucks for unsuspecting customers at a coffee shop. Handed out water. A free train ticket for a commuter in need.

"Our goal is to make peoples' day, to make their lives better," said Tom Calderaro, a senior at Lockport Township High School.

On a typical Saturday, the high school soccer players would be competing against each other on the field. But in 90 minutes - the length of a soccer match - about 1,500 youth tried to spread as much kindness as they could.

"So we pooled together a few singles and he was able to get on the metro," Nick Kowalczyk, a Lockport sophomore, said.

This annual morning of kindness is in its 13th year, made possibly by Buddy's Helpers, a nonprofit that unites student athletes and encourages them to give back to the community.