It was a busy Labor Day Weekend for Bogart and me.  The folks I Oberlin were great.  Many people came forward to offer support and ideas to keep things going and even help spread the word on acts of kindness.  Invitations to brunch and dinner are reinforcing my feelings that my message is working.  My thanks to Joe and Danielle at Full Circle Fuel for the help they gave me in keeping the bus in working order.A family picnic in Medina, Ohio on Saturday was a great time for me to reconnect with some family members who I haven’t seen in a long time.  My niece and nephew from Arizona were there and it turned out to be great weather on a great day. My family also enjoyed painting their own thoughts of kindness on the bus. 

Next, I was able to go back to Cleveland and volunteer at the Salvation Army cooking some hot dogs and burgers for the people there.  I think the Salvation Army is one of the unsung heroes in our midst.  On then to Case Western Reserve University where I found a virtually empty campus.  Undaunted, I decided to go to the Little Italy section of Cleveland where I ran into some truly great people.  I was lucky enough to find Darla, who manages the Achievement Center for Children in Cleveland and her enthusiasm was instantaneous.  She bought 250 of the “One Million Acts of Kindness” stickers and also invited me to meet many of her associates in the Tremont area of Cleveland’s near West Side this weekend.  I’m really looking forward to that. 

All in all, I had a terrific visit in Little Italy.  I had great discussion with at least 50 people, took some pictures, and got some valuable ideas.  Across the street was an apartment with some lofts on the third floor.  3 students came out to see what the attraction was, and one of them remembered me from my visit at Kent State.  He came down and invited me to a party that night to carry on the message.  I was sorry I couldn’t go but he said he’d do his best to create some interest and he took some stickers to pass around. 

I realize it is still early in the project, but the interest has really been unbelievable.  I’ve had people follow the bus to talk to me, some asked if I could speak at their high school, and some have just come out to find out more about what’s going on. I feel badly that I can’t accept all the invitations I’ve received, but timing and scheduling just won’t allow it.                                                                                                  

Bogart has certainly been a big hit at every stop along the way.  Our new campus flyers, “Where’s Bogart?” with his picture should add to the fun and interest.  Onward and Upward.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 at 11:08 am and is filed under Kindness, Random Stops. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.