What a fun middle of the winter event to get us thinking about spring. What an even more fun movie about a weatherman who wakes to the same day, Groundhog’s Day, dozens of days in a row. Everything that happens during the day keeps being relived by Bill Murray, until he realizes what it takes to move on to a fresh start of a new day.
With a lifetime goal of One Million Acts Of Kindness, every day is the same, excitedly the same. New horizons and new opportunities to look for acts of kindness to perform. Long term goals to plan for while you work on a cause about which you are truly passionate.
On this Groundhog’s Day, take a few moments to sign up for One Million Acts Of Kindness Week and truly move on to a fresh start of a new day.  Bogart did not see his shadow today. He barely wanted to come out from beneath his covers.

While putting the finishing touches on the first Bogart children’s book in a local coffee shop, I took the liberty to approach a young mother with her small child. The perfect demographic to “test market” the book, “Bogart Begins His Kindness Adventure.” As luck would have it, this caring mom had been a primary school teacher previous to motherhood; a double demographic delight. Not only did she, and her friend, who now joined her, love the book; they were generous with their compliments about the mission of One Million Acts Of Kindness and its positive effect on the future of their young children’s lives.
Spreading the word about my mission, one or two people at a time, is a personal effort that can have a powerful impact. Direct contact with someone and having a passion for what I do is how the groundswell of this grass-roots effort is beginning to take hold in people’s lives. I was so touched by the loving care these two women showed their children. The values of One Million Acts Of Kindness was something these women have embraced long ago, in talking with them I realized I was preaching to the choir.
Please take the time to register for One Million Acts Of Kindness Week and register your group’s or your personal kindness act.

If you had a chance in your life, to make as many people become the best persons they could possibly be, would you do it? If it took just a couple of hours to tell all your family and friends about a lifetime goal that could have a profound impact on their lives, could you please do it? The impact of everyone having a lifetime goal of One Million Acts Of Kindness is a game-changer. This world could use it now more than ever. Incorporate a One Million Acts Of Kindness goal for your own life and family’s life as an example for the rest of the world to see.
Please send the following email to as many people as you can, instructing them to send it to everyone they know around the world.

One Million Acts Of Kindness Week is February 14-20, 2011.Kindness begins with children. A lifetime goal of kindness will helpstudents put an end to bullying others. We are working to spread the word about this mission across the United States, with the hope that it grows globally. We are hoping to have people from every country in the world participate in this 2^nd annual event. Please help us by sending this information to everyone you know, throughout your state, across our country and around our world. I hope that kindness spreads throughout our country and then to the rest of the world. Everyone across the country can play a key role in making this happen. Please visit our website, to research the kindness goals we are working to spread on campuses nationwide and to register the kind act you will do for another, during One Million Acts Of Kindness Week. Students are also urged to print from the homepage of our website, one of the Kindness Certificates with their name, as a reminder that they have taken a lifetime pledge. More then ten thousand Kindness Certificates have been printed from our website. The Kindness Certificate is a powerful teaching tool for educators. Every student across the country should  learn the benefits of having a constant mindset of kindness. We hope, because of you, that kindness spreads across the world.

www.onemillionactsofkindness.com

For the sake of children everywhere, please help with spreading this message of kindness. I am hoping every student in the United States will take the Kindness Challenge and hang a Kindness Certificate on their bedroom wall.

Thank you,

Bob Votruba              thekindnessbustour@gmail.com

1 (216) 870-7772

Early in my travels in 2009, The Kindness Bus Tour was discovered by one of the biggest hearted woman whom I have had the pleasure to meet during my entire trip thus far. Mimi Burns is a “shirt off the back” kind of person. She has been a cheerleader of One Million Acts Of Kindness from day one. Mimi is a gifted musician and has a ten piece Celtic band. She and her band members donate their time to have concerts for those in need on a regular basis.
On New years Eve, nearly a month ago, there was a house fire in Mimi’s neighborhood.  Zoe and Spencer Tomasi made it out of the house, their mom did not. Two teenagers, left to find their way through the most challenging time of their lives. Enter Mimi Burns. Mimi has stepped up to help the children by having a benefit concert at the C2G Music Hall in Fort Wayne. Putting together a benefit in a few weeks time, is no small feat. The entire community is coming together to support the children this Saturday night. Please visit mimiburns.com for the details to help this worthy cause.

Being a role model to your children never ends. Staying every step along the way with your child during his or her school years is more important than it has ever been. There are so many bad choices for kids these days, so many opportunities to take a wrong turn. In-school kindness programs, when dovetailed with parents who are involved with all aspects of their child’s life, give the child the positive influences, to make choices which benefit them and others, throughout their lives. Letting your children know, at the earliest possible moment in their lives, about the importance of being kind and respecting others, will lay the foundation for children who can enrich the world around them throughout their entire lives.
Parenting a child is a full time job, it needs to be a constant effort of teaching and living by example for your children. I have had countless families take the “Kindness Challenge,” working together as a family toward a lifetime goal of performing One Million Acts Of Kindness. I can’t think of a better way of “being there” for your child.

In the hundreds of visits to schools since I have begun my travels, there is always a noticeable “buzz” of positive energy among the student body in the schools that have a year-long kindness program instituted. It is a “buzz” of excitement and one of respect that students have toward one another. To me, the most important part of the formula is that the program be goal oriented and year-long, every school year. Goal oriented, and year-long, every school year; these are the key components to success of any program. A One Million Acts Of Kindness program, or any kindness program for that matter, needs to be a part of the fabric of student life at all schools. Students respecting each other all day, every day, year after year. One Million Acts Of Kindness is an individual lifetime goal for every child, it is lifelong and goal oriented.
There is one key component I haven’t mentioned and it is a continuation of the program the moment the children walk out of school and arrive home  –  Parents. More about this tomorrow.

Today’s art is from a talented student at Millridge Elementary School in Mayfield Heights, Ohio

Almost anyone involved in the education of children today, will tell you of the challenges they face on a daily basis. Challenges for the educators because of the challenges children face. Children are asked to grow up so fast and are expected to do so much at such a young age. This proves burdensome even under the best of circumstances. A lot of the stresses children are having to deal with are showing up in the classroom for teachers to address in ever increasing numbers. At times, keeping order in the classroom seems to be a bigger challenge than the teaching.
No matter the age of the individual or the situational stresses we all have to deal with, one thing remains constant, we all can be kind to one another. Being kind disarms any feeling of  animosity one might have toward another. Kindness is the peacemaker between all of us. One Million Acts Of Kindness is the constant companion to the peacemaker, it is the lifetime goal every child in every classroom should embrace, improving the state of every classroom.