Bogart wanted to spend the day chillin’ but we had work to do. Sorry, Bogart!
I have a new-found appreciation for anyone who has to make a living driving the streets of the southern-most part of Manhattan. The congestion, tight turns, one-way roads, no turn here, and just when you think you have figured it out and have made three or four turns to get where you are going, the road construction detours you yet again. The Kindness Bus made some very creative moves today, I wonder if NASCAR has a bus division.
We visited fourteen firehouses today, traveling just over ten miles in nine hours; we broke the 1mph barrier. In four days time we have visited forty-six firehouses on Manhattan, leaving three more to visit on Monday, before we start visiting the next borough’s houses.
Today was tough, not just because of the navigational nightmare, but because of the proximity of these firehouses to ground zero. The 343 fallen heroes were largely from these very first to respond firehouses. They and their surviving coworkers are the real role-models children should look to for core values. The firefighters at these houses are a very closely knit family of brothers and sisters working in close unison, for our safety, every time the alarm sounds.
I was surprise when I arrived at Liberty Street and I was waved down to visit “The Ten House” at ground zero as Ten Engine and Ten Ladder were just coming back from a run. This visit was very short, as parking was extremely limited and the guys were busy getting out of their gear and paying my respects and thanks were echoed by the many who had walked down the ramp.
Please help us spread our message of a Goal of Kindness to schoolchildren across the country. Your donations are crucial to making this a reality.
Mail donations to:
One Million Acts Of Kindness
PO Box 770054
Lakewood, OH 44107
You can also donate through PayPal:
Bogart is my travel companion on The Kindness Bus Tour for the next ten years. We will be on the road traveling to campuses across the country. Bogart is a eight year old Boston Terrier. He is a great people dog... he loves meeting new people. I am Bogart's fourth owner in his short 8 years of life... Not because of him but because his three previous owner's lifestyles changed after they took him in... Lucky for me!! Bogart is the luckiest, most spoiled dog on the face of the earth. He loves the bus and he loves to travel. Please come and visit him when we are on your campus.
The Blue Bird Corporation donated this amazing bus to One Million Acts of Kindness, allowing us the continue this initiative. It has been painted to closely resemble the original Kindness Bus. It will last well beyond the ten years of this mission. A very big thank you to Blue Bird from Bob Votruba and Bogart too!!
The original Kindness bus has been donated to a professor at Virginia Tech who will use it on campus and at schools in the Blacksburg area. The Kindness Bus will continue to inspire and comfort residents, students and visitors in that area for years to come.
One Million Acts Of Kindness is a goal. A goal for each person to individually perform One Million Acts Of Kindness in their life. Can you imagine a greater goal for one's life? It is a constant mind-set of kindness every day of your life for the next fifty-five years. Doing for others and kindness in your heart for everyone. It is my wish that you will dedicate your life to a charity... finding the passion in your heart for something or someone in need.
As a father of three college age kids I am concerned for the world in which all kids will live. A great way to create a safer, more caring world is for everyone to start their lifetime goal of One Million Acts Of Kindness. So I bought a bus, had about sixty family members, friends and neighbors help paint it and began a ten year journey with my Boston Terrier, Bogart, to college campuses across the country hoping to convince as many of you as possible about this much needed movement for this world. I love you guys too much to sit back and not do anything about this. Let's start a kindness movement in this country today to change the direction this world is headed!! You are the change that this world needs.
Bob…You are making such an impact and are bringing a healing message to so many people. You are invited to Syracuse for 9/11-9/12…A-OK! Acts of Kindness Weekend hosted by Women Transcending Boundaries which organized right after 9/11. We have at least 65 organizations ready to do an act of kindness, service and volunteerism on those days, some of which will continue for months and hopefully years. All ages are involved…community gardens will be built, food pantries will be filled, clothing and bikes will be given away, parks will be cleaned up and so many more projects. Hope you can join us as we build community through kindness!