Requests for Acts of Kindness from Influential People for the Kids

Through a wonderfully creative program designed by RandomKid.org, celebrities and influential people of all ages and backgrounds are reaching out to our class with their suggestions and wishes for RAOK. The idea is for our students to complete these RAOK while hopefully videotaping themselves and then sharing the videotape with the person that suggested the RAOK. We believe this can lead to special and important acts of kindness by the children for those around them and also hopefully a meaningful relationship with a notable figure since it is built upon an act of goodness and kindness. A huge thank you to the folks at RandomKid.org including Talia Leman, Dana Leman and Anne Ginther as well as all the "celebrity" participants for making this unique opportunity for possible!

Here are the "special requests" we have received so far..............

Celeste Bottorff, VP of Living Well at The Coca-Cola Company, wants you to "Spend some time with a senior in the neighborhood, younger kid or someone at school who doesn't get much attention. Learn about something that interests them and then be sure you spend some time talking with them each week about their interests. Share one of your interests. Give them a little attention. Make something happen nice happen for them." Celeste wants us to know that "We succeed and fail slowly, with the actions we take everyday, then quickly when those actions accumulate. So what you do every day is more important than the big events. The outcome of the big events will be determined by your preparation for them."

Ed Brenegar, writer for the Gannet News in NC and a highly sought after leadership/business consultant, wants you to know and think about that, "There are many people who do kind things and never get recognized for doing them. My idea is to have a recognition day. Have the kids create a list of people who have been kind to them. These would be people like a teacher, a grandparent, a coach, a neighbor or a friend. Have the kinds make a ribbon or a badge that the person could wear so that other people will know that someone has recognized them and given thanks for their act of kindness to the kids. Have the kids select 8 or 10 of these people. Have a short story written about their accomplishment and have a ceremony where these people are recognized."
http://edbrenegar.typepad.com/

Maxine Clark, created Build-A-Bear Workshop, wants you to, "Share a hug by giving a smile: Ask a teacher how you can better help them accomplish their goals in your class room? What extra service could you do to help double the impact the teacher has on the classroom? How can you help another student that is not quite as strong as you are in an area be better?"
http://www.buildabear.com/

Darius Goes West, Inc., creator of the multi-award-winning documentary Darius Goes West: The Roll of his Life. Darius Goes West part of the Charley's Fund, a nonprofit foundation that funds medical research into a treatment or cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. D.M.D. is the most common and aggressive form of muscular dystrophy. Darius Goes West, Inc. is sending the class 10-20 copies of the film to give away and have kids share the story of a dying boy who is traveling the USA in a wheelchair with 11 buddies-- in the ROLL of his life-- to try to help others after him....see the movie together and be ambassadors for the film."
http://www.dariusgoeswest.org/

Sandy Douglas, along with being the president of Coca-Cola North America is best known for in his own words "being a great dad." Sandy wants you to, "Surprise someone in uniform (military, fire fighter, police, nurse, EMT, etc.) and buy them a Coke and lunch. Volunteer to sit with the elderly and talk to them. Go to hospice and hold the hand of someone who is alone. Stop by an animal shelter and thank the people who work there for caring enough about this world to help animals. If you speak a second language, go help someone fill out a form for their driver's license, get a prescription filled, give the person next to you on a bus or train a flower and wish them well. Surprise a panhandler with a $10.00 handout."

Seth Godin, writes the most popular solo blog in the world, wants you to "Do something kind for yourself. Go to the library, find the funniest, coolest or weirdest book you can find and read it."
http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/

Nicholas Kristof, two-time Pulitzer prize winning journalist for the New York Times and author of a new book, “Half the Sky,” wants you to "Help another kid with his or her homework. Maybe it’s even your own younger brother or sister; you can earn extra credit if you can’t stand him or her but still help out."
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/oped/columnists/nicholasdkristof/index.html

Kay Isaacson-Leibowitz, is the co-founder of World of Children, a Foundation which honors, funds and elevates amazing changemakers like Talia Leman for their work with the children of the world. Kay Isaacson can also be counted amongst the women in America who broke the "glass ceiling" in corporate America. Kay wants you to "to direct your act of kindness towards a senior citizen or a disabeled person: help someone cross the street, help them on/off the bus, anytime you see someone struggling, reach out and help them. Once you have done this, you will continue to reach out the rest of your life - because IT FEELS GOOD TO DO GOOD!"
http://www.worldofchildren.org/

Harry Leibowitz, is the co-founder of World of Children and former Executive Vice President of Proctor and Gamble, wants you to "Put on a Halloween costume and stop by the nearest children's ward at the hospital and read the children a Halloween story." Harry reminds us that "birds fly because they think they can fly...you can accomplish great things if you only believe you can..."
http://www.worldofchildren.org/

Talia Leman, Talia started an organization called RandomKid about the power of ANY one, wants you "to write ten anonymous notes of encouragement (maybe give them a favorite saying, or lyrics to a song, or a story, or just some thoughts), and stick them in ten envelopes addressed to "YES, THIS IS FOR YOU". Leave them in places around your school, neighborhood, church, wherever, in bathrooms, on lockers, on desks, on doors. Try to sneak and watch one person open one. Don't give away your identity."
http://www.randomkid.org/

Dana Leman, Talia's mom and a consultant and administrator for Randomkid, wants you
to one day when your school bathroom counters look particularly yucky, take some paper towels and wipe them off. Don't tell anyone why you are doing it, just do it."
http://www.randomkid.org/

Jamie Miller, U.S. diplomat who has served in Israel, Libya, Iraq and France, wants you to "to think of something you like or admire about a person who often gets made fun of, and next time your friends start to make fun of him/her, you point out that he/she is actually not so bad, and mention the thing you like about him/her. This takes courage as well as kindness." "In my work, as a diplomat living in other countries and cultures, I see how people often find excuses to mock other people because of some minor difference" but this doesn't have to be the case."

Tim Richardson, a father to six great kids and Creator of the list of the REAL Richest People in America (people who are RICH because the give and make a difference), wants you to "Go to a retirement center and entertain residents. They LOVE having children around and it brings a smile to their face. Play the piano, recite poetry, read from a book, etc."
http://www.richestpeopleinamerica.com/

Michele Tafoya, ESPN Monday Night Football sideline reporter, wants you to, "Share a lunch table with kids who are considered "geeks" or "nerds." She says remember: Bill Gates (the founder and creator of Microsoft said, "Be nice to nerds. You'll probably work for one some day!" She also says, "I know a lot of famous people. But the people I admire most are people who are kind, generous, humble, thoughtful, informed about the world, and true to themselves."
http://www.espnmediazone.com/bios/Talent/Tafoya_Michele.htm

Jourdan Urbach, Concert Violinist and Founder & Executive Director of Children Helping Children (international musical charity organization featured on national TV, documentaries, and radio), wants you to "Spend a weekend afternoon at a VA Hospital conversing with a few of our veterans or playing music for them. They have stories to tell and don't always have visitors with whom to share them."
http://www.optran.com/chc/jourdan_bio.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXt40B8CWnI
http://www.childrenhelpingchildren.net/