One of the many reasons I love coming to northeast Ohio is to visit a very special Gates Mills Elementary School.
Counselor, Marc Kaminicki and I talked last fall to discuss this school adopting our kindness goal initiative for the school year. We agreed at that time to visit the school this spring, today was the day.
The students in this K – 5 school made a big effort to be kind all year and it shows. These very well behaved students were excited to tell me of their “year of kindness” and to learn of my travels.
It was a very special day. Thank you to everyone.
Kindness always,
Bob Votruba and Bogart too!!

Twenty-two Girl Scouts from Troop 133 in Lakewood, Ohio have taken the One Million Acts of Kindness pledge. They recently received their patches.
I was honored to be invited to their meeting to meet most of their Troop and discuss having a lifetime goal of kindness in their lives. It was a most memorable night.
Thank you to Troop Leader Mona Atfield and Troop volunteers, Mary Jane Miller and Marianne Quasebarth.

The One Million Acts of Kindness patches are showing up on Girl Scout sashes and vests across the United States.
By taking a pledge of having kindness as a lifetime goal, a Girl Scout can earn a patch.
There are 3.2 million Girl Scouts in the United States – 2.3 million girls and approximately 900,000 adults who work   as volunteers. Our program is open to all of them, free of charge.

Thank you to the Bullying awareness organization Free2Luv, for the great coverage of One Million Acts of Kindness. An article on their website is below.
Meet this week’s EXTRAordinary Peep of the Week, Bob, a builder from Cleveland, Ohio, who traded in his entire lifestyle, selling his house and his car to live in a 1990 school bus he has dubbed, “The Kindness Bus.” He began traveling around the country to spread his message of One Million Acts of Kindness. “I drive the bus to a town and then ride my bike (‘The Kindness Bicycle’) around the town,” Bob explains. He stops at schools, churches, community centers, city halls and newspaper offices and shares his story. He asks that people make a commitment by honor these four simple statements: I will comfort those hurting; I will help those being hurt; I will help you realize your importance in the world, and; you are needed and you are loved!! Bob, we think you’re EXTRAordinary!

One of the friendliest guys you will ever meet is Rick Kowalski. He and his dog, Bear, an Alaskan malamute, recently stopped by the Blue Bird of Kindness.
Rick has his own personal kindness campaign as he and Bear help to make hundreds of people feel good about themselves, each and every day.
He has a genuine way of making people smile who he talks with, me included.

Principal Sandra Powers of Hayes Elementary in Lakewood, Ohio invited the Global Kindness Tour to visit her wonderful school. The in-classroom programs for kindergarten through third grade students were great fun and a nice way for these students to learn about kindness in smaller settings.
Thank you to everyone who made this a very special visit.

Thank you to the students, faculty and staff at Lander Elementary School in Mayfield Heights, Ohio for the invitation to their school. Over five hundred students took part in five programs outside by the Blue Bird of Kindness.
Hats off to Principal, Jeff Legan and Counselor, Rebecca Schmidt for this wonderful opportunity.