Post #12 – Kindness is an Organization

Hello everyone,

Earlier, I told you about a plumbing company who helped a family in need.  Now, I’ve decided to change things up a bit and tell you about a nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to promote and help complete random acts of kindness all across the world.  In 2009, Misha Collins, star of the CW’s Supernatural, reached out to his Twitter followers and they came up with an idea to help nonprofit initiatives.  After several changes and some careful planning, the team eventually came up with the name Random Acts.  The basic goal of this organization is to encourage individual acts of kindness whenever and wherever possible.  Not only does the organization help fund individual projects by letting you submit your idea, but they will also provide volunteers who may help you complete the act of kindness.

The organization’s mission statement is as follows: “At Random Acts, it’s our mission to conquer the world one random act of kindness at a time.  We are here to inspire acts of kindness around the world both big and small.  We provide a vast network of caring people with the encouragement and support they need to change lives for the better.”

The organization also has a list of five key values which are listed below:

• ·         Every individual can be a catalyst for positive change in the world and in his/her own life.
• ·         Everyone deserves to be treated with respect.
• ·         Each person can make a positive impact with his/her own social network and community.
• ·         Kindness breeds kindness
• ·         Being kind is fun!

I hope that sharing this with you inspires you to check out their website and see the many videos posted which give an up close and personal view of individual random acts of kindness.  This organization can do a lot for many people around the world.  If you have a random fact that you would like to complete, don’t be afraid to ask for help, because anything can be accomplished.  I hope that you enjoyed reading about this organization, and I also have posted a video below.  I hope that you enjoy the rest of your evening, and that is all until next time.

Dallas Hathaway

http://www.therandomact.org

Post #11-Kindness is Donations

Hello everyone,                                                                   

Last week, I shared a story with you about an amazing couple who gave money away on the side of the road.  This week, I’m going to tell you about a plumbing company from Arizona to fix the needs of a desperate family in their time of need.  For about a year, the McComb family has been dealing with the terrible stress of their seven-year-old daughter’s Sarcoma cancer.  At the same time, the family had also been dealing with terrible plumbing leaks throughout the year.  Mrs. McComb suggested to her husband that he should call Pioneer Plumbing to see if they could get the problem resolved.  Soon after, two employees came out and fixed all of the leaks.  After the plumbers returned to work, they shared the family’s story in a weekly meeting.  That is when the owner of the store, Mike Motzkin, decided he could make a difference.  He is quoted in the article saying, “look, these guys have got bigger things to worry about.  We just gotta help them out.”  He decided to donate all materials, and employees worked for free.  Soon after the work was done, Mr. McComb decided to nominate Mike Motzkin for a local award called “Ben’s Bell.”  This award is for “those among us who make our community better, [and a] kinder place to live.”  I hope that these services help the McComb family get through their difficult times.  I also hope that this story inspires you to do a kind act.  Things like these don’t happen very often, and when they do it makes us want to do something kind in return.  I hope you enjoyed reading this story, and this is all until next time.  Enjoy your Sunday evening.

Dallas Hathaway

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/tucson-business-owner-believes-kind-acts-should-be-the-norm/article_3443c08f-7735-59bd-822d-ff5022b575c5.html

Post # 10 - Kindness is...Panhandling in Reverse

Hello everyone,

Today, I’m going to tell you about a story of a very remarkable couple, and this couple just happens to be retired.  They decided to take their idea to the streets.  Instead of panhandling and asking people for money, the couple decided to take their own money and give it away to the people who drove by.  The couple decided that they were going to take $100 of their own money and give it away.  You can think of it as “panhandling in reverse.”  The driver of each vehicle that passed them that day received one dollar.  In addition, the couple held up a sign saying “no, I am not homeless, and I am not hungry.  Can I give you a dollar?”  Although this act is small, it shows that the couple has a kind heart and wants to bring good to the community.  No matter how small the act is, kindness can always make a positive difference in someone’s life.  So please remember, when you see that piece of trash on the sidewalk, pick it up.  Or when you’re standing behind someone in line, and they don’t have enough money to pay for their bill, pay for the difference.  Doing good deeds will bring good deeds back to you.  I hope that you enjoyed reading this post, and until next time please stay kind.  Thank you for reading.

Dallas Hathaway 

Post #9 – A Worldwide Movement

Hello everyone,

Alyssa O’Neill sent a text to her mother asking whether or not she would get her pumpkin spice latte. Even though her mother agreed, her daughter was never able to get the drink. On the morning she was supposed to get the treat, the 18-year-old died of an epileptic seizure. Her parents were filled with shock, and they had no idea what to do. So, her parents did the only thing they thought was right. They decided to go to the local Starbucks and pay for 40 other people to receive the drink. The manager of the store was so excited about what had happened he offered to donate 50 more of them in her honor. Another thing that the manager did was put #AJO on each drink with a purple marker. This is when the excitement began. Her memorial page soon reached 28,000 likes. The hashtag has become so popular that it is turned into almost a verb, with people saying “I got AJOed this morning!” Before Amber’s death, she hoped to become a nurse could help other people who have epilepsy. Her family decided to start a local scholarship fund for students who would like to go into nursing. Although this act of kindness was prompted by a sad loss, it has opened many people’s eyes and they can now be kind to others. I hope that you enjoyed reading this story. Until next time, be safe, have fun, and be kind.

Dallas Hathaway

https://www.facebook.com/AJOforeverinourhearts

Post #8-Kindness for Papou

Hi everyone,

A local doctor from Hopkins, Minnesota visited the same Dairy Queen on a daily basis to get a treat, which was 30 miles away.  He lived for acts of kindness.  He always tried to get to know his patients on more of a personal level.  Six months ago, Dr. David Dragotis, came down with esophageal cancer and ended up staying at the same hospital he practiced at.  Up until his death, Dr. Dragotis wrote prescriptions for his patients.  In hopes of letting his kind spirit live on, his granddaughters decided to pay his kindness forward.  They went to the local Dairy Queen that their father had visited each day, and they gave the manager $200 to pay for everyone’s ice cream until the money ran out.  They also included flyers of his father’s story.  When some people heard about the story, it brought tears to their eyes.  This is one way for his family members to fill the hole which their father had left them.  When others heard about the story, they also began donating in his honor.  I hope that you enjoyed reading. A link to a video is below.

http://www.kare11.com/news/article/1042003/391/Hopkins-Dairy-Queen-home-to-another-viral-act-of-kindness

Dallas Hathaway

Post #7-Youthful Kindness

Hello all,

I hope everyone is enjoying their Friday.  Last night, I found the most adorable story that I thought I would share with you.  A 7-Year-Old girl named Helaina Morgan was devastated after her mom told her a story about a family who receives food stamps.  Her mother informed her that the family often times couldn’t afford to buy extra cookies or ice cream because they didn’t have enough money.  Helaina was so shocked that her only reaction was a gasp.  The little girl then asked her mom if they could go take them some food.  She told her that it would be a little difficult to accomplish because of how far away they live.  This is when the magic happened. Helaina went straight into her room and decided to get $10 out of her piggy bank.  She told her mom that she would like to send the money to the family money so they could afford extra goodies.  This came complete with a letter to the family’s 3-year-old daughter, Essence, which is posted below.  An act of kindness such as this one does not come around very often.  So no matter how old you are, or how much money you have, you can still make a positive impact in someone’s life.  I hope you all enjoyed reading the post. Feel free to look at the photos below.  Have a nice weekend until next time, everyone!

Dallas Hathaway

Post #6-Kindness during Shutdown

Hello everyone,

In my last post, I discussed a story in which an officer helped a young man in need, just before his final moments.  This week, I am going to tell you about a local business that is trying to keep the kindness coming during this awful government shutdown.  Less than two blocks from the capital building in Washington, D.C., a local Starbucks is offering cash donations to furloughed federal workers.  Since the times are hard and the money is not coming in, workers are allowed to take as much as they need.  Civilians are also being encouraged to refill the bin.  This act of kindness from a local business is giving an opportunity for everyone to be kind.  Also, this has inspired many other local businesses to do similar things.  Local fitness company Town Sports is offering free access to their facilities.  Many bars and restaurants in the area are offing discounts as well.  Even though the times can get rough, a person can always find time to assist someone else in need.  I hope you enjoyed reading.  Be Safe and Be Kind.

Dallas Hathaway

Post #5-A Little Kindness can Travel Far

Hello all,

My last post discussed a team of engineers who helped a young man gain his independence.  Today, I am going to be discussing an event that happened not so long ago.  Last year, shortly after returning from a tour in Afghanistan, San Diego Police Officer Jeremy Henwood stopped at a local McDonald’s to grab some lunch.  While in line, Mr. Henwood noticed a young man standing in line behind him.  The boy proceed to ask the officer if he could have an extra dime in order to purchase cookies.  Officer Henwood then offered to by the young man some cookies so that he didn’t have to pay for them.  While waiting for the order, Officer Henwood asked the young man what he wanted to be when grew up.  The boy informed the officer that he wanted to be a professional basketball player.  Officer Henwood told the boy that it would take a lot of work to become a basketball player, and to make sure he tried as hard as he could to achieve his dreams.  Moments later, Officer Henwood received his lunch and walked  out the door.  Little did he know, the conversation he had with the young boy was going to be his last.  After sitting down in his patrol car to eat his lunch, Officer Henwood was gunned down and killed.  This final act of kindness Officer Henwood committed on his final day of life has motivated the young man to be all that he could be.  Whether you decide to help someone cross the street, or buy them cookies, no act of kindness will ever go unnoticed.  I hope you enjoyed reading.  Have a nice weekend everyone!

Dallas Hathaway

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Post #4-Kindness with Independence

Hello everyone,

Today, I found a wonderful story while searching the web that I thought I would share with you.  A team of Rice University engineering students won their George R. Brown School of Engineering Design and Showcase Competition last April for their design that assisted a young man gain his freedom back.  The students came across a young man with a rare disease called osteogenesis imperfecta, which makes a person’s bones extremely brittle.  The young man uses a power wheelchair, and he often times has trouble grabbing for items that are not in his reach.  This team of engineers decided to make it their mission to help the young man gain independence.  They called it the R-ARM, a robotic arm which attaches to the back of his power chair.  The arm is operated by a simple game controller which allows the young man to grab just about anything with a touch of a button.  The students are glad they could help the young man, and in the future they hope to make improvements to the device over the years.  Eventually, the group wants to start a business plan and begin marketing the product.  I am glad to see that there is technology out there which provides a great deal of assistance.  This story is very personal to me because I have a disability.  At times in my life, I have struggled to gain my independence, but with the use of technology I am now able to be fully independent.  Thanks to a group of engineering students, a young man’s life will never be the same again.  Well, that’s all for now folks.  Stay kind and kindness will return!

Dallas Hathaway

Post #3-Celebrity Kindness

Hello all,

Last week I decided to begin my blog with a recent personal experience. This week I think it would be appropriate to discuss an act of kindness committed by celebrity. Aaron Paul, star of AMC’s Emmy winning drama series ‘Breaking Bad’ is reaching out to fans in order to raise money for the Kind Campaign. The Kind Campaign’s Mission statement is as follows: the “Kind Campaign is an internationally recognized movement, documentary and school program based upon the powerful belief in KINDness that brings awareness and healing to the negative and lasting effects of girl-against-girl “crime.” As an incentive to donate to the Kind Campaign, Aaron Paul and other stars are offering the second place winner a chance to win a trip for two to attend the series finale screening. The grand prize winner and a guess will be personally picked up by Aaron Paul himself at the airport to watch the finale with the stars of the show. The original goal of Paul was to raise a total of $750,000, but as of last night (Wednesday) they were very close to raising $1.5 Million for the Kind Campaign. I see this as a major accomplishment for the cast of ‘Breaking Bad,’ and I would like to thank each of the cast members and all of the fans of the show for their support of the Kind Campaign, you all are truly amazing. Well, that’s all for now folks. Until next time, keep spreading kindness and kindness will spread to you. Have a great day!

Dallas Hathaway

Post #2-Let's begin with a Personal Experience

Hello All,

Since hearing stories about kindness can make everyone's day a little better, I thought I would start by sharing my most recent personal experience with you.  Following the Summer Session of classes at Washburn University in 2013, my girlfriend and I decided to go out to eat as a celebration.  It was a nice day out so we decided to go to On the Border Mexican Restaurant.  After enjoying our meal, the next step was paying for it.  Our waitress came over and informed us that someone else had already paid for our meal.  At this point I was in complete shock that someone had been so kind to us.  The waitress then proceeded to give me a sealed envelope.  The waitress began smiling.  Inside the envelope was a note which said "best wishes, and may God bless you."  Also included was a $100 gift card to return to the restaurant.  At this point I was in disbelief.  This was the kindest thing that I had ever witnessed, and we knew that we had to pay the kindness forward, and to this day I do not know who that kind person is.  In order to pay it forward, we decided to take out some very important people in our lives out to dinner with the card.  This will be a day that I will never ever forget.  I hope that someday the person who committed this act of kindness will read this post and know how thankful I am for their graciousness.  That day was the very thing that inspired me to begin writing this blog.  I hope that you enjoyed the story, and that it inspires you to commit similar acts.  Until next time, keep the kind acts coming!

Dallas Hathaway

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Post #1 - Kindness is Key!

Hello everyone!

Kind words and stories can make anyone's day just a little better, brighter, and happier.  While keeping this in mind, I thought it would be nice to compile a list of stories, videos, blogs, and news clips which show acts of Kindness In America.  All throughout my life, people have been kind to me.  Therefore, I thought it would be nice to share other acts of kindness which are happening all throughout the country.

By sharing these stories with you, it is my hope that together we can help spread this kindness to create even more stories for others to share.  Throughout the course of this blog, you will see how Kindness In America can truly make a difference!  That's all for now folks!

Have a wonderful weekend, and keep on caring!

Dallas Hathaway