Kim Downs and Sandy Atwood are angels who have helped to give The Kindness Bus Tour a lift to a higher level. What an unbelievably special visit to this upstate New York community. A few months of planning never readied me for what was in store for me during my visit yesterday.
An overnight stay at the Downs’ residence was the perfect hospitality needed for the long drive to this area and to rest for a long day to come. Over 500 students from Caryl E Adams Elementary School heard my 45 minute presentation, including the puppet show, to inspire everyone in attendance to “be the one” who makes a difference in someone’s life. Two TV interviews during and after my presentation were another great way to get the word out about my mission. Todd Sherwood, communications coordinator for the district was very helpful with the interviews and provided the photo for today’s blog.
The afternoon and evening presentations included a half hour reading of Bogart’s new book “Bogart Begins His Kindness Adventure,” a dinner including a custom “One Million Acts Of Kindness Day” cake with many from the Whitney Point Community attending and a 45 minute talk about being a parental role model. It seemed like every adult thanked me afterwards for my talk.
One of the many highlights today was Mayor David A Downs proclaiming April 27th 2011 as One Million Acts Of Kindness Day in Whitney Point, New York. What an amazing special place .
Thank you, Bob Votruba and Bogart too!!

Mayor David Downs of Whitney Point, New York, proclaimed April 27th 2011 as One Million Acts Of Kindness Day in Whitney Point, New York. His first official proclamation as Mayor. I am honored and moved beyond words. Thank you Mayor Downs.

The magic continues in DUMBO, in Brooklyn, NY. Connections I made this past Easter weekend are calling for interviews and with their offers of support. Two people I met, Channon Hodge and Sarah Ewald, who are journalism, graduate students at CUNY, did a great job of interviewing the mission of One Million Acts Of Kindness for their school newsite,  nycitynewsservice.com Their video story will go out to residents throughout NYC. I love this town!! New York City, although so large, is made up of hundreds of neighborhoods, a new neighborhood on every street. Their has been nothing but praise for my mission throughout every borough of New York.
Please look for a link to this story on the One Million Acts Of Kindness Facebook wall in the near future. One more item of note, Channon has a great website worth visiting called;
stillgoodnews.com

This afternoon and evening, The Kindness Bus Tour made a 6 hour drive to Whitney Point, New York, for a day long series of events tomorrow.

The Kindness Bus made its way to Brooklyn, NY this weekend to a community just across the East River called DUMBO, an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. The parking gods were with me as I pulled into the central area where the foot traffic would be all weekend long. The weather cleared just in time to talk with hundreds of people this Saturday of Easter weekend. It was pure magic, a couple just married, named Johnny and Shanna thought The Kindness Bus was a great omen for their future. I met with so many people who seemed to have an instant connection with The Kindness Bus Tour. Families with kids of all ages who stopped by to learn of One Million Acts Of Kindness. People with high interest in making this mission grow in big ways seemed to find us. The media is starting to play a bigger part in this as time goes on, it is such a big help.    The planning for The Kindness Bicycle Tour is in full swing as some speaking engagements and lodging for my overnights are being booked. Thank you in advance to all of those who are helping to make my travels a comfort.

**This blog originally ran on Easter day 2010. I received so much interest, that I felt running it again this Easter weekend would have the same impact. Maybe by reading and seeing what happened to this unfortunate individual, you will find it in your heart to start helping those less fortunate than you.

This Easter morning, thoughts I want to share, have been on my mind since early morning March 24th in South Beach. Thoughts of mistaken identity.     I don’t know who runs the morning clean-up detail on this strip of visual paradise but by the time most of the late-night revelers are only half-way through their much needed slumber, the debris removal and pressure wash teams have returned the sidewalks, park and beach areas to pristine condition.
So there we were, Bogart on a taut lead with Bob in tow, headed at a full-throttle saunter to get some full-throttle caffeine. The debris had been bagged for pick-up in clear garbage bags near the sidewalk at various locations. One could see the previous day’s beach trash and treasure bagged and ready for pick-up through the clear bags. I could see at a distance, as I approached each pile of bags, the previous days forgotten loot. I looked at bright plastic beach toys left behind, in bags with soda bottles and other debris. I approached one pile, from a different angle which is shown, unable to discern the contents of the bag. It wasn’t until I was at the angle from which the picture is taken that I realized the human beneath the plastic sheeting.  Then I saw the broken egg and realized someone had thrown a raw egg at this unfortunate man.  It’s hard for me to understand what that could possibly accomplish.  I see that my mission becomes more important every day.

All along my travels I am asked about my 3 children. Do they travel with you? Do all of you live on the bus? Do they support what you are doing?
Thoughts of the nursery rhyme “The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe” come to mind when I picture what it would be like with all of my children living on the bus with me. The 84 square foot living quarters of the bus is about the size of a walk-in closet. The bed takes up nearly one quarter of the space, Bogart takes up the rest it seems.
A recent blog I wrote, of a 7 year old girl named Corinne who gave me all of her stuffed animals as a very big act of kindness for children in the hospital, is such an inspiring story for all of us. Corinne gave me two big bags of all of her stuffed animals while I was waiting for my daughter to meet me for dinner. Soon after Corinne and her mom and dad left the outside patio area of the restaurant, my daughter Lizzie arrived. When asked about the shopping bags of stuffed animals by my chair, I told Lizzie how Corinne went home and brought back her stuffed animals to cheer up sick children in the hospital, to which Lizzie replied, “Dad, don’t ever stop doing this.”

If I had a dollar for every time I have been approached by, or honked at during the past 10 days, with strangers saying “I saw you on Oprah,” I would have enough money for many tanks of gas for The Kindness Bus with enough left over for a T-bone steak for Bogart.
We have been featured on the Oprah Network for the past 10 days with a 60 and 90 second spot on the “In Your OWN Words” segment. Even though it isn’t the Oprah Show per se, there is still an unbelievable “Oprah effect.” Who knows, maybe a phone call will come before the end of her incredible run. What a great way of ending a talk show with promoting a goal of One Million Acts Of Kindness for every child in the world.
Thank you to everyone for helping to promote this much needed cause.

***The 7,400 mile, 6 month Kindness Bicycle / Kindness Bus Tour to raise awareness for Domestic Violence and Childhood Sexual Abuse begins its journey in twenty-five days.