"When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people."
–Abraham Joshua Heschel
 
  DECEMBER 2006 RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS FOUNDATION • KINDTIMES NEWSLETTER  
 
IN THIS ISSUE
RANDOM SMOOTHNESS
LOLLIPOS FOR WKW
CELEBRATING WKW AT WORK
COURAGE TO CARE DAY
WEBSITE OF THE MONTH
FREE FBL POSTERS
 





RANDOM SMOOTHNESS  

In celebration of World Kindness Day, Smoothie King kicked off their "Random Acts of Smoothness" program. A twist on the phrase and sentiment of "Random Acts of Kindness," Smoothie King’s program, which will run through the end of the year, enacts good deeds in its communities and rewards good deeds done by others. Stores are encouraged to commit RAKs and also reward ones they see. Some examples of "Random Acts of Smoothness" that have already occurred are:

  • Lakeland, Fla.: A store and its guests collectively donated seven shopping carts full of canned goods to two local food pantries. After hearing that the food pantries were running low, the store encouraged donations by offering a free smoothie for those that brought in three or more canned goods during the month of November. As word spread, many individuals brought more than three cans, asking for nothing in return.
  • Columbus, Ohio: "Several of my neighbors took advantage of the nice weather last weekend and put up their outside Christmas decorations. As I was walking my dog, I noticed one family down the road two houses down doing yard work. When I inquired about them being at the "wrong house" I found out that instead of taking the opportunity to put up their decorations, they were painting and doing yard work for an elderly neighbor. I quickly returned to that neighbor's house after my walk and rewarded them with RAS cards for their kind deeds."
  • Memphis, Tenn.: "Last Tuesday, we brought free smoothies to the tenth grade at my former high school in recognition of their combined grade point average. In turn, they surprised us by coming to the store on Saturday and helping to clean the parking lot and tidy up inside the store. Then they went downtown and passed out coupons at the Memphis Marathon. The kindness is just flowing!"

    • LOLLIPOPS FOR WKW  

    "For our first World Kindness Week celebration, we had our peer educators set up tables in different locations across our college campus with postcards that had kindness quotes on them and a space for a note. Students choose from four postcard designs and wrote a personal message. We then took all the postcards and affixed lollipops that said 'Thank you' on the pop and 'Practice random acts of kindness; pass it on' on the stick.

    We had some lollipops left over from our first case so I'm donating them to one of our Student Association members who is planning to distribute them during the 'wee study' hours of the night in the library during the last two weeks of the semester.

    Another program we already have in place on our campus is 'Staff Recognizing Staff.' Once  a semester a letter gets sent to all faculty and staff to nominate those who 'make a difference.' The people who are chosen for the award get a mug, keychain and certificate at a breakfast for the 'awardees' and the nominators." - Submitted by Rebecca; New York


    CELEBRATING WKW AT WORK  

    "I’ve started practicing random acts of kindness at work – secretly. The first week, I decorated with balloons. Another week, I gave people a certificate of recognition and appreciation. I continued to do something different each week and then for World Kindness Week I did several things.

    First, I printed the RAK mission statement and added a note with the idea of 'what a perfect time to create a positive, appreciative and courteous work environment.' I then added a quote (from Margaret Mead) and attached a $1 lottery scratch off ticket. I ended the week by printing a bookmark with a poem on it and put that in each person’s mailbox.

    I plan on continuing to spread kindness at work. If my small efforts can make even one second of difference in a life, then I've succeeded." - Submitted by Bonnie; Naples, Florida


    COURAGE TO CARE DAY  

    "Johnson & Wales University ’s Community Leadership Institute (CLI) kicked off this academic school year with our 2nd Annual Courage to Care Day on September 15. Over 300 students, staff, faculty, and community members participated in a morning of service and an afternoon celebration. The participants traveled to 19 different service sites and worked on various projects from painting to landscaping to working with kids. The contribution to the community was 1,280 hours of service - in one day!

    Johnson & Wales is already planning their activities for Random Acts of Kindness Week in February. It’s a huge week on our campus and we look forward to spreading the word about kindness. And more service as we look ahead for the next Courage to Care Day in September 2007." - Submitted by Kellie; Denver, Colorado


    		  
     
    WEBSITE OF THE MONTH  

    Snohomish High School's R.A.K.E. (Random Acts of Kindness, Etc) Club site details the plans of their new club. They practiced kindness to each other by bringing doughnuts and then spreading compliments in the cafeteria. They are now planning ways to help others. To learn more about the R.A.K.E. club, click here.

    		  
     
     
    FREE FBL POSTERS!  

    RAK’s sister foundation, The Foundation for a Better Life, continues to offer a set of "value" posters. The set includes Albert Einstein, The Incredibles, Benjamin Franklin, a kindness poster, and more.

    To receive the set of posters, e-mail info@forbetterlife.org with your name, school name, street address (no P.O. box) and phone number (for shipping purposes only). Incomplete requests will be deleted with no reply. FBL can send only one set of posters per school and there are no substitutions on the designs.

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