The Firehouse on Hicks Street in Brooklyn, New York is a very busy place, or maybe my timing has just been very bad. I stopped by to pay a visit 5 previous times at this Firehouse, only to find it empty. Not today!
Joe, a Firefighter of 13 years, who was on House watch, answered the door. Joe expressed his gratitude for this ride to honor the Heroes across the country. This Firehouse is in a great neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights. I had more interactions with pedestrians who were out and about on this perfect summer day. I decided that was my cue for the day, to “cruise” the streets on The Kindness Bicycle. The day was filled with conversations with people of all backgrounds. It was one of the days that unfolded on its own to wherever the side streets took me. It was a great way to spend a day.

Since arriving in New York City in early June and visiting over 100 Firehouses and Police Precincts in the neighborhoods they serve, I must have heard from a dozen individuals that I need to visit the New York City Fire Museum. I decided today would be that day.
Damon Campagna, the Executive Director, invited me to his office to share some history on the museum which houses some of the most important firefighting art and artifacts dating back to the late 1700s. Damon showed me around a bit, leaving me time to be alone in their 9/11 memorial. It reinforced my beliefs on who the Heroes and role models are in our society.
The Museum, in conjunction with the New York City Fire Department, also operates a world-class fire safety education program designed to teach participants how to prevent fires within the home and how to protect themselves and escape should a fire occur.
The website www.nycfiremuseum.org is very informative and well worth a visit. The museum is a must-see when visiting New York City.

An excellent article was written about the mission of One Million Acts Of Kindness by  Silvina Sterin Pensel for El Diario La Prensa. Please click on the link below to read this article written in Spanish.
http://www.eldiariony.com/Por_la_ruta_de_la_vida,_siendo_amables#.UBX8B8mp6eo.hotmail

With the thought fresh in my mind of the New York City man who received 17,000 responses to his flyer that he was lonely, I decided that posting flyers might be a nice way of interacting with people regarding kindness.
I am going to be all over this city during the next 3 months, riding past hundreds of light poles every day, giving me the opportunity to post the new flyer I created. I began this new quest today. I am able to gauge the interest by seeing  how many pull tabs are gone from a flyer later in the day. There is much interest already. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at this as it’s hard to argue with a flyer that reads, “Need more kindness?”

Well ahead of schedule for all of my visits this summer, I decided to make an easy day of it and just visit one Firehouse today. This particular Firehouse was skipped over in an area I traveled two days ago and made it a point to get there today.
Lenny, a Firefighter for 13 years was in charge of “house watch” duties when I came rolling up to this Dyker Heights neighborhood Firehouse on 79th Street. Lenny gave me a bit of history on the Firehouse and had a big interest in my ride across country.
I heard back from the FBI today, things are in the works for a visit to their offices in the next few weeks.

The day started with much needed repairs to the support for the rear signs on The Kindness Bicycle. I was about as far as I could have been from The Kindness Bus, and when the back support let go, I was left with no alternative than to carry them as I rode the 10 miles back.
I was contacted by Silvina Sterin Pensel a writer for El Diario La Pensa, the oldest Spanish newspaper in the United States, to write an article in an upcoming issue of her newspaper. She asked some great questions and I look forward to trying to read the article in Spanish.
I contacted the FBI in New York City to see if it could be possible to stop in and talk to their Community Outreach Specialist. I’m hoping they agree with the message of The Kindness Bicycle Ride for Heroes, I’m guessing they will.

It feels great to be appreciated. When your job is challenging and dangerous and you give of yourself to protect and serve others, you deserve to thanked. This is not typically the case if you are a peace officer. Most police are criticized far more often then they are thanked. Just the fact that so many officers have to wear Kevlar vests speaks volumes. Putting themselves in harm’s way to protect us and not get thanked is not what these Heroes deserve. The same holds true with Firefighters and the safety they provide for all of us. The young men and women fighting in other countries to keep us safe deserve our thanks as well. Thank you to all Heroes for protecting our liberties and freedom.
Today I visited 5 Firehouses and 3 Police Precincts in Brooklyn. Thank you to everyone for making me feel so welcome, especially the Heroes at Engine 210 Firehouse in Fort Greene were so hospitable, inviting me in for a great talk and some iced coffee which kept me going all day. A big tip of the hat to the Community Affairs Officers at 88th, 90th and 94th Precincts I visited today. Thank you for helping to spread word of The Kindness Bicycle Ride for Heroes to your community.