On July 5, 1973, Kingman was the site of a catastrophic BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) which killed 11 firefighters. The explosion occurred following a fire that broke out as propane was being transferred from a railroad car to a storage tank. This explosion has become a classic incident studied in fire department training programs worldwide. It is for these eleven firefighters that I rode through many of the streets of Kingman.
Ahron Sherman and the photographer from the Kingman Daily Miner met me at the Firefighters Memorial Park to help to spread word of this ride throughout their hometown. Their interest in One Million Acts Of Kindness was refreshing. As I rode today, the applause, waves and horns were a continous sight and sound.
Roger Dixon Battalion Chief Fire from Station 1 talked to me in great detail of the tragedy. It is amazing to me that a training seminar about fighting this type of fire was on the schedule to be taught to these men six days after the tragedy.
Stopping at City Hall, Debbie Francis, retired Police Officer and now City Clerk in Kingman was very appreciative when learning of The Kindness Bicycle Ride for Heroes.
At day’s end Fire Chief Thomas O’ Donohue of Golden Valley, Arizona and his wife stopped by The Kindness Bus and Kindness Bicycle as they were parked and I was writing this blog. A connection he has, is that he worked with and is friends with International Fire Chief Al Gillespie. This is amazing to me as I am hoping to hear from the Chief, some words about Heroes that I can take to children in classrooms across the country.
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.