Princeton was such a welcoming city yesterday, I decided to spend an extra day and talk with as many residents and also students from the university. It was the right move as everyone seems to want to strike up a friendly conversation. So many of the connections I make turn out to be people who want to tell me how bullying or suicide has affected them or a loved one. “I’m going through this right now,” the father said to me. “One of my colleagues has one of your sheets and I wanted to see what this is all about.” He is working with the school to stay involved on a daily basis.
“What you are doing is so important,” were the words spoken by a mother. “I have two daughters who were bullied,” she added. I encouraged her to get involved to help others who are going through what she and her daughters had endured.

A very nice piece was written about One Million Acts Of Kindness by Jean Bonchack a reporter for The News-Herald in Geauga County, Ohio. The link is below: http://bit.ly/S9JmIJ

One thing is for certain, this town loves One Million Acts Of Kindness!!
The Kindness Bus rolled into the center of the downtown area of Princeton to a flurry of interest. Three locals came over to talk with me within the first 10 minutes of my arrival. Chris a traffic officer who previously was a Princeton Police Officer, pulled up in his vehicle during one of the conversations and announced that there was no need to fill the parking meter all day. What a huge act of kindness!
Fanny, the Director of Administration at the Lewis Center for the Arts was thrilled to see The Kindness Bus parked a stone’s throw away from her office. She was so generous, donating a care package and creating a new colorful hand out sheet for the Ring Our Country with Kindness ride. What a huge help this is while on the road.
Philip Sean Curran a reporter for the Princeton Packet newspaper interviewed me for this Friday’s edition of his paper. I’m hoping it is front page, above the fold.
Francis, another local, showed his generosity with his words and donation.
Tony, a Navy veteran, made two donations during the day. Thank you to everyone.
If I could turn back the hands of time to when I was 5 years old, I would study as hard as I possibly could and try to become a student at Princeton University. This campus is the “gold standard” when it comes to great looks in an even better setting. Every turn of The Kindness Bicycle revealed a beautiful view all day long. You can even get a great education here as well!
My interactions with students, mirrored the response I received from the residents of this town, genuine graciousness.
Everyone I talked with had an interest in the issues of Bullying and Adolescent Suicide. The consensus is that something needs to be done. This ride will make a difference!

I got a bit of a late start out of New York City today, but it put me in the heart of the school day at Rutgers, which proved to be perfect timing for finding the #1 parking space across from the student center on campus.

“In this digital world, we need to teach our youngsters that their actions have consequences, that their words have real power to hurt or to help. They must be encouraged to choose to build people up and not tear them down.”

Fernando who stopped by and said “Seeing your bus is the same as seeing a smile.” That statement was so wonderful to me, so I let him write it on The Kindness Bus.

9,000 miles is a long ride on a bicycle, but when you have a full year in which to ride this distance, it only works out to an average of just under 25 miles per day. I began with a ceremonial tire dunk on the east bank of the East River  in DUMBO, Brooklyn, NY this afternoon. I have been riding test rides throughout New York City, for the better part of a month, to gauge the reception for this ride to address Bullying and Adolescent Suicide. The interest has been beyond all expectations. Conversations with individuals of all ages is a common occurrence. Two national news organizations have been in contact with me and several small market news media have contacted me as well. The need to spread word of this ride is critical and will help to save lives when an individual who is going through a hard time realizes the importance of their life.

The weather gods were certainly on the side of One Million Acts Of Kindness while filming of an outdoor piece by a major television network. The filming today followed a studio visit here in New York City where I was interviewed for 90 minutes. Today, dozens of individuals were interviewed near The Kindness Bus and were asked various questions about kindness, the impact of the One Million Acts Of Kindness mission and questions about bullying and suicide. The documentary will air around Thanksgiving. I will certainly post a link to the story and divulge the name of the network.
Inspired by the US Department of Education contacting me, I spent the remainder of today, emailing and phoning various Departments of Education at the state level.

Don’t use words that hurt, Stop hatred, Kindness for everyone No exceptions, Be kind 2 people, Teach respect, are the five quotations written on The Kindness Bus which surround me in today’s photo. Three of the quotes were thought of by children.
Don’t use words that hurt, is all important. It is easy to hurt someone through the use of negative words. When spread on social media networks, negative words can have devastating results.
Be kind to people, is an idea that should be a continual mind set for everyone. Bullying would be nonexistent if these words were applied to all our lives.
Teach respect, is a concept which should be taught to children as toddlers.
All of these five quotations, if embraced by all children, would lead to a society that doesn’t bully.
October is Bullying Awareness Month and today is wear Purple to Stand Against Bullying Day. These great events will hopefully help to remind everyone, that bullying is something that shouldn’t happen to anyone, every day of the year.

Pat Lyden, Executive Director and CEO of the Suicide Prevention Education Alliance (SPEA) wrote to me today with their endorsement of my Ring Our Country with Kindness ride (R.O.C.K.) 9,000 mile ride to prevent teen suicide. To me, this is an incredible honor. The following is taken from their website, www.speaneohio.org
SPEA, located in Cleveland, Ohio, teaches teens to be the “first line of defense” in preventing suicide, since teens who make a plan to end their life tell a friend. SPEA has delivered its proven program, Recognizing Teen Depression and Preventing Suicide, to more than 100,000 students since December 2000 and currently serves 120 Northeast Ohio high schools.  SPEA’s professional instructors teach teens to identify peers who may be suffering from major depression or may be at risk of suicide; how to respond; and where to refer.  Self-referral is also encouraged.

Their goal is to cause at-risk students to seek and receive treatment from a mental health professional, as treatment is life altering and often lifesaving.