I came to this beautiful campus one day early, to hopefully be south of the path of Hurricane Sandy. It was a great day of riding with the wind whipping around from every direction. This campus is gorgeous and was voted so in The Princeton Review a few years ago. It could have been the fact that it was a Sunday or that there was the threat of Hurricane Sandy coming inland, but this campus was nearly empty. I was able to have conversations with several groups of enthusiastic individuals hurrying to where they were headed.
I did find a very crowded “big box” shopping center with a steady stream of customers stocking up on the necessities of life. When the rains finally came, I took shelter indoors.
Hopefully the predictions of landfall of Hurricane Sandy are wrong and the storm blows out to sea.

I had to change my itinerary to hopefully stay out of the path of Hurricane Sandy. I left Philadelphia this morning and visited Washington, DC. I found a great parking spot with high visibility at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 7th. I unloaded The Kindness Bicycle and set off to take in the sights and talk with people. I also headed to a building where few people visit when they come to DC, but it is one of the most important, The Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building. I came here because of the recent contact the Department of Education made, to give my bullying awareness ride their “Seal of Approval.”
Most of the groups walking through the city were families. A couple of healing conversations I had were with families who knew kids who were bullied. One of the moms of one of the families compared herself to a lion protecting her kids like cubs. She said her kids grew up to know how vital their lives are and that no one would ever mess with her kids. She is there for them every step of their lives. What a great role model for all of us.

I made my way to the Drexel University campus near their main entrance which becomes perfectly crowded at class changeover. Many conversations ensued as is the case when people see my shirt and the signs on The Kindness Bicycle.
Since hearing her story earlier this week, I have been using it in my interactions with individuals. A 20 year old student at the Rutgers campus on Monday told me she personally knew SEVEN kids from the age of 13-17 who have committed suicide in the past 2 years. This is unfathomable!
Today after telling a random group of 5 students this story, every one of these students knew at least one person who took his or her life, one of the girls in the group knew SIX. This is a storm of epic proportions.
For the past generation, the youth of this country have been taking their lives in growing numbers nearly every year. These beautiful young kids have rest of their lives ahead of them. They need to realize the value of living a long and fruitful life. There are people who are counting on them for their comfort, their compassion, their friendship….their love. They have yet to meet many people who are going to count on them for their loving support.
Someone Needs You…Don’t End Your Life.

Heading south to Philadelphia, I passed through Lawrenceville, New Jersey. I know of an incredible private school that I had been invited to visit. Having a limited amount of time, I pulled The Kindness Bus onto the campus of Lawrenceville School. The warm reception I received was typical of this nurturing environment. Even with the upcoming Parent’s Weekend, Betty Cornell from the Dean’s Office took time to meet with me even though I had shown up unannounced. This place is a first-class act!
There is a sure fire way to eliminate bullying and suicide from our society; having peace in your heart.
Today I visited the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Hospital to talk with Gregory K. Brown, Ph.D. Research Associate Professor Department of Psychiatry and Kelly L. Green, Ph.D. NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow to discuss the nuances of talking with those who converse with me about bullying and suicide. I wanted to discuss saying what needs to be said and how to listen to those I talk with. Lending a kind ear and speaking words of hope are ways to get a person to open up and share their feelings.
I spent the remainder of the afternoon engaging many students and individuals in conversation about bullying and suicide.

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.