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