Tonight is the 1st benefit for One Million Acts Of Kindness. The venue is
ThornCreek Winery 155 Treat Rd. Aurora, Ohio. The contact phone number is 330 562-9245. The benefit is from 6pm to 9pm.
Many people worked very hard to create this event and I am so thankful. Please attend if you are able.
Thank you to everyone who takes part in making this event a success.

On Thursday, the MOMS group from Holy Angels in Bainbridge, Ohio will have a benefit for One Million Acts Of Kindness at ThornCreek Winery in Aurora, Ohio. I am honored beyond words for all who are helping to make this possible.
Thank you to;
MOMS Group
ThornCreek Winery &
Q104 radio Cleveland, Ohio
For details, visit; www.thorncreekwinery.com and click on Guest Bartending in the Here’s What’s Happening column.

The Kindness Bicycle/Kindness Bus Tour evolved from raising awareness for several issues, to concentrating on just 2 key issues. When you try to do too much at once, the sum of all parts has a way of being diluted. Therefore the 2011 Kindness Bicycle/Kindness Bus Tour will be a vehicle to raise awareness about Domestic Violence and Childhood Sexual Abuse. Both of these issues don’t get much coverage until it is too late.
There is a dark side to both of these issues. Kindness sheds light and helps abusers and potential abusers see the damage and hurt caused by their actions. Abuse is about control and power, a person leading their life with a kind heart will know this. A survivor knowing kindness will be helped to heal through relationship with kindness.
The Kindness Bicycle/Kindness Bus Tour will work with various groups along our journey to address abuse issues and the “Kindness Cure” which can help everyone affected by these tragedies.

The Kindness Bicycle/Kindness Bus Tour begins in fifty-four days and the planning is starting to take place. Agencies and organizations along our 7,400 mile trip will be contacted beginning tomorrow. One of these agencies is represented in all fifty states including the District of Columbia. The Coalition/Alliance Against Domestic Violence is a coalition of people and agencies working to help survivors of domestic violence in every state. They work to link professionals and survivors to services which are available. Getting resources to, and educating the public is one of the most important aspects of each state agency. The coalition is supported through a collaboration of public and private partners and a network of volunteers.
The Kindness Bicycle/Kindness Bus Tour will work to raise awareness during its 6 month, 7,400 mile journey, but that is, just the half of it.

One of the first persons I had the pleasure of meeting in Vero Beach this year was Sister Claire who nearly ran me down in a parking lot to learn, first hand, about One Million Acts Of Kindness. The bus, I think, reminded her of some of the creatively painted vehicles throughout that country. Claire has been a huge cheerleader of my mission, introducing me to friends, inviting me to lunch and keeping me informed of some of the events taking place in the region.
Claire quietly goes about her helping those in need; she has an ever-present mind-set of kindness. She is a role model for all of us to emulate. Claire has decided that with her contacts in Bangladesh she believes she can have that country be represented in One Million Acts Of Kindness Week. That, without a doubt, would be huge. Thank you Sister Claire for all of your help and support.

“Ever since I actually put the sticker up, my heart has literally opened up,” is a quote in an email from a woman I met in Vero Beach a few weeks ago. This email is one of the countless emails I have received in the past couple of years saying something similar to her quote. It isn’t the sticker but the full embodiment of the message of constant kindness.
She went on in her letter to say she has found herself helping people whom she would have simply passed by and not paid attention to before this 4″ round sticker came into her possession. She is an international flight attendant and now has a passion to spread this message to people traveling to and living in the destinations she visits. France is one of the first countries of her new mission. To that I must say, “Je suis chatouillé rose.”

The Kindness Bus is a little stubborn after an extended shutdown of its engine. It takes a few minutes of warm up time even in the warm weather. Starting up from a complete stop is a test of driver so I tend to do the slow roll at stops. This morning I gave an approaching vehicle what would have normally been more than enough room except The Kindness Bus was a little more cantankerous than usual. The approaching car had to slow and then went around when the roadway opened to 2 lanes a block away. I pulled up to her at the red light a couple blocks further down the road, noticing she had some Virginia Tech items on her car. When I pulled alongside her I was gonna give her an “I’m sorry” wave but when I saw she had her son in the front seat I motioned for her to roll down her passenger window. “Virginia Tech is the reason for this” I said to her. A beautiful smile from her and a thumbs up from her son told of a very proud Hokie family who was happy to see someone doing something about the tragedy which happened nearly 4 years ago. Whoops, I never told her I was sorry for cutting in front of her.