Welcome!

Tournament Invitation [9.18.26]

Dear Coaches,

Please join us for the inaugural Tournament of Kindness, an online speech and debate tournament for middle school and novice competitors, hosted by Smiles and Hearts Foundation.

November 14–15, 2026 [Online through Tabroom.com and NSDA Campus]

We welcome schools, speech and debate clubs, Urban Debate League programs, other organizations serving middle school and novice students, and independent competitors.

For many students, this may be one of their first tournaments. Our goal is to give them a welcoming place to challenge themselves, receive useful feedback, and build confidence as speakers and debaters.

Their participation will also support educational opportunities for children thousands of miles away.

Smiles and Hearts Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by educators. Its mission is to support education, opportunity, and the well-being of children and women in rural Africa. The Foundation works with Reenpan Primary School and the surrounding community in rural Limpopo, South Africa, listening to local educators and responding to the needs they identify.

At Reenpan, which serves more than 300 learners, that partnership has provided classroom supplies, sports equipment, hands-on science resources, and teacher-ready lessons. Through efforts such as STEM for Reenpan, the Foundation helps students learn through experimentation and discovery, not just textbooks.

Speech and debate offer a fitting way to support this work. As tournament participants research, question, speak, and listen, they will help extend learning opportunities to another community of students.

Registration fees will first cover tournament operating costs. Net proceeds will help support literacy programs and books, internet access for the school, and school lunches. For some learners, school lunch may be their only meal of the day.

The Foundation’s leadership is entirely volunteer, with no leadership salaries, and the organization has earned the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency.

We hope your students leave the tournament with greater confidence, helpful feedback, and an appreciation for what their participation makes possible. We look forward to welcoming you this November.

Jane Boyd
Co-Founder, Smiles and Hearts Foundation
                                                
Travis Cochran
Smiles and Hearts Foundation Board Member
Tournament of Kindness Chair