What Did We Do Today? Gave out 350 Free Kindness Bags (in 30 minutes) to Strangers at South Station...............SEE BELOW FOR PICTURES AND VIDEOS FROM SOUTH STATION
Why? To put a smile on someone's face....do something kind for a stranger....and in return we only asked that they do something nice for someone else and hopefully tell us about it. To learn the powerful lesson that "to give is to receive." Because in return for their hard work in packing 350 bags and giving them out, the kids were able to see first hand and up close the incredibly positive and heart warming reaction from someone who has been given a gift purely from the heart with no strings attached. And the students in seeing this reaction will hopefully continue to do and look for more opportunities to make other people feel good; and that is a big part of what it means to be a responsible young citizen and leader....by putting some of their fears aside and making others feel good, the kids are beginning to realize their potential to impact others around them in a positive way...their potential to be leaders.
The Response? Overall, it was amazing. So many incredible and fun stories that the kids shared as we celebrated our day with a pizza party afterwards. With smiles on their faces, most of the kids told similar stories. Where at first the people they approached were a bit unsure and even uneasy. But almost universally, when they heard the kids say "these bags are free....this is a class about kindness....we only want you to take them and do something kind for someone else," the people then warmed up, let their "guard" down and most importantly were genuinely thankful and touched. So many travelers gave the kids a huge thank you....a smile....and even an occasional hug......a handful of "takers" were so impressed and appreciative they wanted to "repay" our kindness.....of course this wasn't our intention at all but sometimes wonderful things happen out of good deeds......some of the employees at McDonalds wanted to give the kids some fries.....another traveler gave the kids 2 tickets to a premier showing of the Michael Jackson movie....and although we did not want to take it and denied the gift several times, one incredible man from Washington (passing by with his family), was so moved by our acts of kindness that he "insisted on giving us a $100 bill for the Rogers School"!
We of course put it in our giving jar which is money we are setting aside for each good deed we do that we will use to make a special gift to our classmates and school at the end of our class.As someone with an enormous amount of appreciation and respect for our country's military forces, one of my favorite stories was meeting, William Tabb, who served in the US Air Force some 40+ years ago and who stopped by to tell the kids his 2 children attended the Rogers Middle School! You could see the joy in his eyes from seeing the kids and spending time with us. We will try to reconnect with him at some point.
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I was a recipient of one of your kindness bags. I will say, coming up the escalator into South Station and seeing the kids giving out the bags I was immediately wary. The first thought that ran through my head was "What do they want? How much will this cost me?" Shame on me! It seems I have turned into a bit of a pessimist as many people seem to always want something from people instead of just giving something away every once in a while. I applaud these young people for making a difference. That particular day I was exhausted and hungry and just wanting to get home from a long day. When the girl who was trying to give me the kindness bag first handed it to me I refused. She then said "It's free" with a big smile. So, I thanked her, returning her smile and went on my way. When I got on my train and got a chance to open the care package I was touched. In it was just exactly what I needed: Some snacks, some water, and some inspiration! What a pick me up!!! It asked that we come to this website and tell about a random act of kindness that we have performed. I'm not exactly sure if this qualifies, as it does not necessarily pertain to one specific person, but here it is nonetheless: After receiving your package, I finally (I had been procrastinating about it for weeks) donated an old violin that was sitting around in my apartment to a community music group for inner city youths. This will hopefully allow a child who doesn't have the money to purchase one to still be able to learn/play.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for the great work you all are doing. I'm glad to know that kids are still interested in making society a better, more helpful place!!