It's one of our favorite days of the year. It started because our dear friend Laura wanted to use Random Acts of Kindness Day to show her appreciation to the staff at the oncology center.
We took this opportunity to make Laura's idea a reality by sending out a few short emails to friends. Here is what happened:
Many friends contributed money
Several friends took Laura shopping to purchase gift items
Other friends helped Laura assemble gift baskets - one for each staff person at the oncology center
One friend, a massage therapist, spent the day doing chair massages for the staff
One friend delivered breakfast pastries & bagels to the staff
Other friends helped Laura distribute the gifts
It was a wonderful opportunity for Laura to give back, and everyone involved felt so good for participating in such a giving project.
This was one of my favorite memories with Laura, because we were all able to come together to not only help a friend. but to also go beyond helping one person and making the day special for so many others.
This year Random Acts of Kindness Day fall on February 17th, but I love the idea of starting a week early and doing things for people throughout the week that lead up to this day! You can never do too much when it comes to showing kindness to others, and I believe one day just simply isn't enough.
WhatFriendsDo wants to encourage you to show a little kindness over the next week, or recognize the day by doing something kind for someone. Here are a few ideas for 'celebrating' Random Acts of Kindness Day:
•Send flowers to the nursing staff at your friend's doctor's office with a note of appreciation for their excellent care. Don't sign your name.
•Help your friend drop off fun gifts of appreciation to those who have made a special difference along the journey he/she is taking right now. A sock full of candies, a basket of fruit or a gift card will make a fun gift. These can be anonymous, too.
•When visiting a friend in the hospital, stop by the cafeteria and pay for the meals of the nurses in line.
•Ask your friend for ideas he/she might have for random acts of kindness. Enlist your entire WhatFriendsDo team to help carry out some fun surprises. (A WhatFriendsDo lady and her team surprised the entire staff at her oncology center with gift baskets one year)
•Hershey's Hugs and Kisses go a long way toward saying "I'm thinking of you." A bag of Hugs & Kisses might be just the right thing for your friend's neighbor who has helped out countless times.
Whatever you decide to do, we would love to hear about it! Leave us a comment here, or post it up on the WhatFriendsDo Facebook page, so that we can celebrate your kindness with you.