Kindness Yard Sale - Over $1000 Given Away For Kindness So Far!

It’s time for another update on how the money raised at the Kindness Yard Sale is being used!!

So far, $1006.72 has been spent to SPREAD KINDNESS!  This entry will update you on the newest ways/places the money was used.

·         $15 was used to pay for the car behind us to get into Cape Canaveral National Seashore.  Cape Canaveral is a National Park, and as such you have to pay to enter.  EXCEPT, if you are lucky like us, you have a Senior Citizen pass that, once you pay for it, you get into all National Parks for freeeee!  And we nabbed ours a few years ago before the price on those puppies went up!  Anyway, we were going for the BEACH, and since we got in “free” we used some of the kindness money to pay for the strangers in the car behind us.  Little did we know that there was a LAUNCH of a Space X rocket going to happen there that evening!  (Somewhat blurry video of the rocket launch below.)  I am guessing that is why the person behind us was coming – to watch the launch!!  We got to see it, too, which was excellent.  If you are ever in Florida I highly recommend stopping here:  Cape Canaveral National Seashore

·        $7 was used to buy 2 delicious tamales for a homeless man who was outside a Mexican restaurant in Daytona Beach, Florida.  We had seen him there a couple of years ago, too, so he must frequent that area.  I asked our server if the restaurant gave him food and she said they do not, so I thought instead of watching all of the outside diners enjoy our meals, he should be treated, too. 

·        $66.22 was spent on supplies for Raising Men Lawncare Service.  It is an organization I read about online that sounds amazing!  They mow lawns for FREE for senior citizens, single parents, people who are disabled, and veterans.  How amazing is that?  And not only THAT, they recruit KIDS to do the work, teaching them the importance of helping in their communities and being kind!  They had an Amazon Wish List on their page, and the kindness money was used to fulfil a wish on their list – we sent them a Fisher Price Bubble Lawn Mower for one of the younger kids who wants to join and is not quite old enough for a real mower yet 😊.  We also sent 24 bottles of Gatorade to help quench the mowers’ thirst!  They are looking to expand – it would be awesome if someone could set up a branch of RMLCS in Arlington!  Their website can be seen here:  Raising Men Lawncare Service

·        $13 was spent on a backpack.  Since it is back to school time, I really hoped to use some of the Kindness Yard Sale money to buy supplies for students.  The thing is, you have had to be careful who you offer the money to.  I do not want to offend anyone, do not want them to feel as if I don’t think they can afford the supplies.  So, it took a while to find the right person to offer it to, but the perfect little boy in WalMart crossed our path and he ended up with his choice of backpack with money from the Kindness Yard Sale.  He was shopping with his mother, and neither spoke much English.  The mom seemed to be trying to understand the note from the school and figure out what supplies to buy.  I asked if he was going to be getting a new backpack, and they smiled and nodded.  So, I walked with him over to the backpacks and let him pick one out.  He chose a Jurassic Park bag, which looked perfect for him.  His mother “God Blessed” us, which I pass along to YOU here – God Bless all the donors and shoppers at the Kindness Yard Sale!

·        $30 was spent on another back to school activity – buying diverse books and supplies for Ms. Sokol’s classroom at Campbell Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia.  And because of an anonymous donor, the $30 was doubled, making it $60!  I found her project on the Donors Choose website, and I think it so clearly reflects the values of the Penrose neighborhood where the yard sale was held.  She wrote:

“Diverse Classroom Supplies: I See Me In Stories!  My Project

This project will provide diverse books to the students in my classroom. It will also provide diversity activity materials that have different colored art materials that each student can match to their skin, hair and eye color and texture! As a Kindergarten teacher, it is important to teach about diversity and inclusion in ways that students will understand. One way I want to do this is through books that students can see themselves in. The students will be able to identify with the books because the characters will either look or act like them.

Students need books that are "mirrors," or books that they see themselves, their families, and their communities reflected as important and valued in.”

Isn’t that great??  If you have never logged onto Donors Choose, check it out here:  Donors Choose

• ·        $25 was donated to a memorial fund for a Nebraska man, Cody Reutter, who died in a fishing accident.  He left behind a wife and 4 young children.  The funds will be used to help with funeral costs and on-going living expenses for his family.  Cody Reutter Family GoFundMe Campaign

• ·        $28 was used to cheer up a cancer patient in England.  As some of you know, my sister in Nebraska has Glioblastoma (GBM), a form of brain cancer.  Because of social media, we have been able to connect with other GBM patients and their care givers all around the world.  One of our favorite people that we have met is “Queen Jean” from Lancashire, England.  Her daughter-in-law visits her very often and shares photos and videos with the GBM group.  Jean has been having a rough go of it lately and her husband has also been in the hospital.  Despite it all, Jean has a very cheery disposition (and a very heavy British accent 😊 ) and it is so fun to watch her on video.  Most recently she read the story of the “Wonky Donkey” aloud and she laughed at every page!  So, to give Queen Jean a new, funny story to read aloud, I sent her the book “It’s A Bad Day” by Mary Ellen Friday using funds from the sale.  It sounds bad (and sad) book, but it has a very nice ending that I know she will enjoy.  I am guessing she will giggle especially loud at the cheekier parts… 

•    $5.71 was spent to surprise a stranger named Savannah with a birthday gift.  A call went out to send cards to a teenager in Omaha who has been ill and is having a birthday.  I sent a card, along with a pretty bracelet bought with yard sale funds.

•   And finally for this report, $60.41 was used to help a teacher have flexible seating for her classroom.  I saw this posted on the NextDoor app:  “Teacher Looking for Donations:  I am 5th grade teacher at an Arlington school and I want to provide my students with alternative seating options to help them better focus. I’m looking for donations of anything like stools, or yoga balls. Must be easily moveable. Please let me know if there is anything you are willing to donate. Thank you.”  I reached out to the poster, ReeAnn Aune, who teaches at Barcroft Elementary.  I told her that her cause sounded like a perfect use for Kindness Yard Sale proceeds and asked her to pick out a chair on Amazon.  She chose a round, folding bungee cord chair, which should arrive in her classroom this week!  Thanks Amazon.  😊 

Over $500 of the Kindness Yard Sale proceeds remain to be spread around - can't wait to find more ways to use it!!