Stories by BlueBeacon (6 matches)

Road Trip With Lasting Effects

“Smile!” I shouted, flashing a neon yellow poster at Seattle’s bustling crowd. We were three thousand miles away from home on a Random Acts of Kindness and Volunteerism Road Trip. Our funds were running low, so we had two goals today: 1. Try out our new "Smile!" signs and see how much kindness and joy we could spread in Pike Place Market. 2. Raise a meager $20 a piece by doing street performances. Singing, drawing caricatures, storytelling -- we'd be like real life bards! Since there were four of us, this would total $80, enough for gas to Portland and a small hotel room. We weren't sure how people would react to our signs. It's so easy to walk past a busy crowd, lost in your own world, refusing to make eye-contact with strangers, and feeling alone despite being surrounded by hundreds of people just like you. I nervously raised up our signs and ... Read Full Story >>

Creating a Tidal Wave of Influence

Hi, everyone! I am doing 92 acts of kindness this month in memory of my Grandma, who passed away a few days before Christmas. It is deeply meaningful for me to see the ripples of kindness and love making a positive impact in the world in her name. It feels like she can still do good in the world even though she is gone, I have read so many of this community's updates and am inspired by how many creative and actively kind, world-changing people are sharing stories. I am writing to request help in reaching my goal of 92 acts of kindness -- one for every year of her life. I am asking for those of you who are willing ... would you please do an act of kindness in my Grandmother's name? It doesn't have to be big. Just a small act of love. And comment to tell me about ... Read Full Story >>

Surprised and Thrilled With the Contributions of Strangers

In a beautiful example of the cyclical nature of kindness, I received a "donation" to help me continue my month-long journey to enact 92 acts of kindness in memory of my Grandmother. It gets expensive to put together 92 acts of kindness so rapidly -- a $5 gift card here, a bag of candy there, a bouquet of flowers, paying for the person behind you in line, art supplies to make signs. I've been very fortunate that many people have joined me in helping reach my goal by contributing their own acts of kindness. However, a few surprises have rolled in. In this case, a local woman on one of my kindness message boards saw my story on the news and offered to donate her collection of hand-painted kindness rocks, affirmations, signs, notes, and candy containers. I picked the haul up at her house the other day, and now I have so ... Read Full Story >>

This Month Has Been Miraculous

This month has been one of the most challenging and most beautiful months of my life. I suppose that's what happens when you're dealing with life and death. Just before Christmas, as many of you know, my Grandmother passed away. We'd been taking care of her at home after her stroke, and it was difficult to watch her slowly drift away from us. At the same time, it was incredible to see the love of family and friends, as they pulled around us to support us during a very painful time. When she finally passed, I resolved to do 92 acts of kindness in January -- one act of kindness for every year of her life -- as a testament to her memory. I wrote an article where I outlined my project, and I updated it frequently to keep track of each act of kindness. Then very suddenly, miracles began to roll ... Read Full Story >>

Shazaam! It's the Blue Beacon!

My alter ego is Blue Beacon. I have always wanted to save the world, so when I learned of the Real-Life Superhero movement, I wanted to try it out. I started out with a project, a fundraiser which I called "Superhero for a Month." During that month, I had to volunteer for a different non-profit every day for a month. I'm a full-time digital marketing specialist, so on my lunch break, I would change into my costume and go volunteer! Each night, I wrote about my volunteer experience, promoting dozens of non-profits over the course of the month. Much like a Walk-a-thon, people donated money to the charity of my choice to encourage the month-long Volunteer-a-thon. So I raised money for Activate Good, a superhero-themed volunteer center, while providing free promotion and advertising for each place I volunteered by writing an article about each one--in comic book style. It was a fun ... Read Full Story >>

Living Out a Dream - On the Streets in a Dinosaur Costume

This weekend I nervously fulfilled a kindness dream: to dress in an inflatable T-Rex costume and roam the streets of downtown doing random acts of kindness. I was very unsure of how people would respond, but I grabbed a handful of “Smile!” cards and affirmations, along with my trusty “Smile!” sign and went to work.

To my greatest delight, people loved it! Many smiles, free hugs, and photos brought a city of strangers together for a shared moment of whimsy and joy. I even danced with strangers. Definitely a fun experience! I must thank those of you who empowered me to experience this fun and kind act — the kindness cards, affirmation, and dinosaur costume were all donated by well-wishers. And with it, I have well completed and exceeded my 92 acts of kindness for January! (I love you, Grandma.)
 

Road Trip With Lasting Effects

Best Stop On The Way Home