I meet many remarkable people along my travels who have accomplished and are accomplishing some great things. Sometimes I read or hear of worldwide organizations that have been formed by a single person to help others around the globe. Other times a sentence or two a person says can have a very profound impact on others.
I met a family of four today who made an impact on me. The two teenaged children of this mom and dad were connected with doing for others because of the connection with their parents. The positive involvement of a parent in a child’s life gives a child the best possible chance of being a help to society.
The thought the father imparted to me made me realize the fortunate upbringing these two kids experienced. He said something to the effect that, everyone should eliminate one negative thing they might do during the course of the day and replace it with a positive. These are some very lucky kids.

Thinking that The Kindness Bus was about to be ticketed tonight, I went out of the building I was in, to see if could plead kindness. What appeared to be 2 unmarked police vehicles had me hurry to try to intervene before the ticket was written. By the time I had made it out of the building and down the stairs, the vehicles had left. Approaching The Kindness Bus, I could tell that a ticket or some sort of warning had been issued. To my astonishment, a ticket had not been issued and the vehicles were probably not police vehicles but some local residents on the street I had parked. Vero Beach has some very generous people.

Great things are possible because of you. Unfortunately, most times it takes a tragedy to get involved in helping others find comfort from your caring acts; other sometimes it takes a planned event to create an awareness of the importance of your much needed involvement.
Raising an awareness with One Million Acts Of Kindness Week and Random Acts Of Kindness Week which take place the same week of the year, create an awareness in people. There should be kindness weeks all year long. No matter the goal of the organization, people being kind toward one another is the ultimate outcome.
A realization of the amazing things you can accomplish in your life is the first step in a direction which can have a positive impact on millions of people. With the entire world connected by the internet, a great need can be met globally.
Thank you to all of the well-wishers and their expressions of success for One Million Acts Of Kindness Week, our expectations were surpassed and your accomplishments reached around the globe.
I also wish to thank everyone who helped to exponentially spread word of this mission. People who used whatever means to connect with their circle of friends and inform them of the importance of taking part in this week.
Teachers in classrooms, involving their students with a worthy lifetime goal, are to be commended for taking the time to help their students find a cause for which they could best use their combined efforts. Just the thought of educators and students working together on a community effort is a “lead by example” lesson not learned from a book.
Unknown, is the impact of any kind act, and to me that is my favorite part. Not knowing how far-reaching your kind gesture’s impact will be is the beauty of altruism, for kindness is truly contagious.
Don’t ever expect anything in return for your kindness, know that by doing, someone is benefiting. Keep doing deeds knowing that you are making a difference in a big way.
Every child and every parent who got their families involved in One Million Acts Of Kindness Week, Thank you. Knowing that families are taking part working together to accomplish a common goal for the betterment of others is reason enough for me to grow One Million Acts Of Kindness Week to as many people as possible.

Arriving in Fort Pierce, Florida this morning, it dawned on me that there are people from twenty two countries represented by this year’s One Million Acts Of Kindness Week. From Australia to Scotland and Haiti to Africa individuals and groups are performing kind acts over and above what they normally would around the world. This amazes me to no end.
Nearer to home, there are several groups taking part for the 2nd year in a row. Life Care Centers of America is one of those participants, this year with fifty two of it’s facilities taking part. Last year one of their facilities updated an entire Firehouse. This truly is a company which cares for people and cares about people. A very big thank you to Paul Zani for making this happen both years.
Determined and focused to do great things for this world, Justin Graves from Virginia Tech signed-up his German Club to renovate 3 local day care centers. Justin also works with Sandy and Jen from the YMCA at Virginia Tech and once again is coordinating One Million Acts Of Kindness Week on his campus. It is from a conversation Justin and I had that gave birth to this week.

Keeping a goal as a constant mind-set affords a child the best possible chance of achieving the end result of that goal.
I paid a visit, this morning, to Willow School, a small private school in Vero Beach that I had visited last spring. This school is very involved in the day-to-day goals of it’s students and it shows. Arrangements are being made to talk with the students for a 2nd time as a “refresher” visit.
Nothing gives me more satisfaction than to hear an entire school I have visited on 2 occasions, it’s students, teachers and administrators are taking part in One Million Acts Of Kindness Week. Thank you Millridge in Mayfield Heights, Ohio.
Don’t forget to sign-up for the last few days of One Million Acts Of Kindness Week, I heard from Linda Smith, a Kindergarten teacher who signed-up her class for the last few days of the week, today.
Now is the time to book your school visit from The Kindness Bus Tour. There are several dates available from mid-March through mid-April and Bogart and I would love to come talk to your group. The contact information is in the right-hand column of the homepage.
Everyone you know should hear about One Million Acts Of Kindness. Use all the usual social networks or do it the old fashioned way; holler from the mountaintops to spread word of this important mission.
School Districts across the nation need to adopt One Million Acts Of Kindness for all of their students. Bullying doesn’t stand a chance in a school system where all of the students have a mind-set of continual kindness.
Students and adults alike today, have so many opportunities to research their passion for doing for others, whether that passion is in their own community or half-way around the world. Karen, the executive assistant at Saint Helens School, another school I visited today, said it best, “This is something that students need.”

Leaving the comforts of one’s environs is hard to do when all you have known, is comfort, your entire life. I am one such person.
Once this journey began, we will begin our 3rd year this summer, I didn’t know what to expect, knowing I had only been out of my “comfort bubble” a few days in my entire life. I found out very quickly that you make due with what you have, no matter how few the possessions and how minimal the comfort. It took this huge change in my lifestyle to realize that all the comfort I would ever need was waiting to be discovered in what I could offer to others. I believe it is locked, laying in wait, in each and everyone of us.
Virginia Tech’s tragedy of nearly 4 years ago bothered me to the core. Bothered me in such a way where I said this time I am going to do something about it. It was my “tipping point” realization. It is then when I said, there is something very wrong, some core value not being taught and some very important lessons not being learned. It for me was, One Million Acts Of Kindness, locked inside and laying in wait.
Everyone should leave the comforts of their environs, if for just a little while, to see what they can offer to others. This is the reason I started One Million Acts Of Kindness. It is a goal which will hopefully lead you to your passion for doing something you never dreamed possible for someone or something in need. It is echoed on the side of The Kindness Bus where someone wrote so profoundly, “Give everything you possibly can to help others…and then give some more.”

Every year, One Million Acts Of Kindness Week occurs. From this year forward, we will begin promoting the following year’s event for the entire 52 weeks. Next year’s week will take place beginning February 13th 2012. You will be able to sign up your group for next year starting sometime next week.
Meeting next year’s goal of 3,000 groups participating in One Million Acts Of Kindness Week should be a foregone conclusion with the growing interest in this mission. We are thankful to all who have helped to reach this year’s goal of 2,000 participants.
Being such a new grass-roots effort, I am still amazed at the interest of people that this movement is inspiring. The interest of “kids of all ages” in a goal of kindness has given rise to the thought that small groups of older individuals can work on a collective goal of kindness. An individual, no matter the age, can fast-track or have a smaller kindness goal, numerically.
Out and about today, on the streets of Vero Beach, while in The Kindness Bus, I was reminded of just how friendly this town was and is towards us. Many people remembered seeing us last spring and I talked with many people with familiar faces who will see us over the course of the next few years. Our extended stay last year had quite an impression, from the well-wishes I received.
During a pause from my work, I went to take Bogart for a walk from his rest in The Kindness Bus, I discovered a local couple named Scott and Paula who were thrilled at seeing such a sight. The kindness of strangers is the thought which comes to mind in describing this generous couple.
Yet again, late in the day, I found myself, this time, at the Holy Cross Church school group of children, where I was invited to pay a visit by one of the teachers. The Kindness Bus was the topic of conversation of students and teachers alike. Dennis, one of the caretakers of this beautiful property is all about helping to spread this message to the local community.