Back To School Time - Kindness Fund Update

It is almost the end of summer, and you know what that means…

BACK TO SCHOOL TIME!

In 2022, my partner David and I went to WalMart and used Kindness Activist funds to buy school supplies for LOTS of families.  It was so fun! 

Well, we were at WalMart the other day, and saw several families, lists of required supplies in hand, scouring the school supply aisle. 

But guess what?  We didn’t approach any of them and ask if Kindness Activist could treat them with an act of kindness…

That probably sounds strange.  But here’s the thing:  offering acts of kindness to strangers can be really tricky.  There are so many factors to consider:

-         You don’t want to scare them (after all, you are someone they have never met approaching them with an offer that sounds too good to be true…)

-         Sometimes you do not share a common language, so how will you explain this situation

-         How do you choose who you will treat when there are multiple families shopping for supplies?

-         And, to us, most importantly – how can you offer to buy their school supplies without making them feel like you think they need your charity, that they are poor, that they are “lesser than”?

So honestly, it is a hard thing to do.  You have to be feeling quite brave, open, vulnerable, and willing to be told no (multiple times) to successfully navigate this one.  And this time we failed.  We just couldn’t get the right combination of courage, heart, and determination. 

It is a bit like double dutch jump roping!  If you have ever tried that before you know it is really tricky and timing is everything.  You have to stand outside the ropes as your friends twirl them.  One, two, three…  One, two, three…  You might try jumping in and get the pattern wrong.  You might get your feet tangled in the ropes.  But it’s ok.  You just get yourself together and make another attempt. 

So, we have not treated anyone to impromptu school supplies yet this year, but we DO have other Kindness Activist activities/expenditures to share!

A neighbor posted online about a young woman that she mentors through the AHC (Affordable Homes and Communities) College and Careers Readiness Program. The woman was preparing to go off to college – the first person in her family to accomplish this amazing feat.  Her mentor had set up an Amazon wish list with items that the teen’s program, the Virginia Tech Marine Cadet Program, required new students to have for their dorm room. 

Well, because of the generosity of Kindness Activist supporters, we were able to give the soon-to-be Cadet MANY things from her wish list!  We donated these things she needed:

-         2 spray-on bottles of sun screen

-         2 travel size sun screens

-         2 sun screen lip balms

-         2 USB C adapters

-         Benadryl

-         USB flash drive

-         Moleskin

-         Markers

-         And an umbrella 

For information on the AHC College Readiness Program and to find out how YOU can be a mentor, see this link:  AHC College Readiness Program

Kindness Activist funds spent - $99.55

Wish for the college bound student – OOHORAH!  You go girl!

I saw a mamma post on Facebook looking for the book “How To Talk So Little Kids Will Listen”.  She has 3 little boys (one is an infant), so really has her hands full.  That was an easy wish to grant.  I just hope she can find enough quiet time to sit down and read it!

Kindness Activist funds spent - $12.14

 

A teacher was hunting for Magnatiles of animals.  She has an autistic student who loves them and knew that they would be a great reward. 

I had never heard of Magnatiles until a child asked for some a couple of years ago in his letter to Santa.  Santa bought them, I saw them, and was an immediate fan.  Those things are great!  Educational, artistic, and FUN!  They are everything a toy should be (in my humble opinion).  Kindness Activist was happy to shop for and donate these!

Kindness Activist funds spent - $42.39

 

And finally for this update – a teacher posted that they would like bean bag chairs for their classroom.  They were not fussy, said any color would do.  They were posting in a group (Buy Nothing) where people give away used things. 

But here’s the deal: teachers in America are over worked and under paid.  They often use their own money to buy supplies for their classrooms, which is unfair in my opinion.  Do doctors have to buy the examination tables for their offices?  Do bankers have to buy the filing cabinets for their documents?  Do car sales people have to buy the chairs that their customers sit on? 

No.  Yet teachers are expected to outfit their own classrooms.  Heck, I have seen teachers ask for coffee makers for the breakroom (and Kindness Activist has kitted out a couple of school breakrooms…).  It just isn’t fair.

So, this teacher was basically asking for used bean bag chairs for his students to sit on.  I did some snooping on his Facebook profile and found his Amazon wish list for his classroom from last year.  It had a bean bag listed, but also had some really cool stools…

I reached out to him and confessed I had peeked at his profile.  I explained a bit about Kindness Activist and asked if he still wanted the stools this year.  He DID still want them, but seemed a bit embarrassed or shy about asking for them.  They were more expensive than the bean bag chair, he explained.

Sir, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.  You deserve the stools, all the stools.  And the set of posters you had on last year’s list to help make your classroom look amazing.  And a Starbucks gift card (just in case your teacher’s lounge coffee maker is broken…).

I love the colors!

Kindness Activist funds spent:  $144.15

Amount of money I wish we could spend on helping teachers have a great start to the school year:  $5,000,000

You can see the story of how we treated back-to-school shoppers at WalMart in 2022 here:  Back To School Kindness

Back To School Kindness

Hot date Saturday night here!  We went to Walmart for some BACK-TO-SCHOOL SHOPPING!! 

But not for us, for strangers.  School in this area starts on Monday.  Would there be any last-minute shoppers???  You bet there were! 

We started the adventure by strolling around the school supplies aisle to see if there was anyone we could treat.  The parameters were simple:  the student should be present, and the recipients should be diverse.   I fished my wish!!  There were lots of shoppers and they were indeed diverse.  We treated people who were Hispanic, African American, Nepalese, white, and Jamaican.

Anyone need a new backpack?

We ended up with 8 separate orders at the cash registers, but most orders were for multiple students.  We had:  an adorable kindergarten girl with beautiful braids, brothers who looked like twins but weren’t going into 1^st and 2^nd grades, a girl going into her senior year, a little girl going into 1^st grade who talked so quietly I could barely hear her, a 2^nd grade teacher, a girl going into 9^th grade, and more!  It was so fun!

Here are some stats of what was purchased:

-         9 boxes of crayons in various forms

-         6 backpacks

-         52 composition books

-         10 packs of filler paper

And lunch boxes and water bottles and pencils (oh looooads of pencils!) and erasers and highlighters and scissors and Kleenex and Clorox wipes and rules and staples and pencil cases (including several kids who picked my favorite one with pop-its on it!) and pens and mechanical pencils and Elmer’s glue and glue sticks (including the shy girl who picked the scented glue sticks that I recommended, cuz, duh, SCENTED!!!), and 3 ring binder and plastic folders and spiral notebooks and markers (including the girl who got a great pack of Sharpies that I secretly coveted) and post-it notes and dividers and a badge holder and dry erase markers and more and more and more until our eyes were popping out of our heads!!  It was brilliantly fun!

I have always loved school supplies.  They are so shiny and bright when they are brand new.  They practically scream new possibilities!  So, it was an honor to be able to treat so many kids to what they need to start the year off right. 

Sometimes when we do a Kindness Activist act, people are hesitant to accept the gift and say no.  But on this adventure not a single person rejected the gift of school supplies!  The parents were soooo appreciative, too.  One mother had been struggling to make ends meet due to a shoulder injury keeping her off work.  One dad had just had Covid and relocated his family.  Two moms cried at the check-out.  One mom’s eyes got so big when I said, “OK, those are the supplies on the list.  Now, does he need a backpack?  A lunch bag??”.  Mom gently nodded her head yes, and off her son and I went to choose the ones he wanted.

As I was ringing up one woman’s cart (the only person who did not have a child with them), I asked what grade her child would be in.  She said, “Oh, my kids are in college…  But I am a 2^nd grade teacher…”.  Well then, kids who show up to that classroom without the needed supplies will have a stash to choose from!

All in all, we rang out 8 separate orders (but served many more than 8 students as most orders were for more than one child).  We spent an average of $121.09 on each order.  School supplies are not cheap!  We were thanked repeatedly, God blessed often, given handshakes, and even hugs.  One delighted recipient asked hopefully, “Will you be here again next year??”.

No ma’am, we probably won’t be in this same store for back-to-school shopping next year.  But I can promise you that we will be somewhere, spreading kindness and then sharing the stories of it.  So be on the look-out! 

School shopping is exhausting!

Total Kindness Activist funds spent -  $1089.79

P.S. – also purchased for students on this shopping trip but not directly school supply related:  two packs of underwear and one small Anna from Frozen doll 😊

Another KINDNESS RIPPLE (Plus More Stories of Kindness)!

I had another reminder recently of how KINDNESS RIPPLES are real, and they work!  I checked my email and found an amazing note.  And I was reminded that being open and freely talking about kindness does indeed inspire more kindness to be spread.

 Here is the email:

 

“I read your blog periodically, which I love. I found it in an article, I’m not sure where now, possibly the Good News website. Anyway, I’ve been a believer in random acts of kindness for quite some time now. I happened to read your most recent post on July 25 & found it very enlightening. 

I’ve mostly done my acts of kindness quietly without sharing with anyone. I didn’t want to be ‘boastful’, so to speak. But after reading your blog about kindness ripples, I now think differently. If, by sharing our acts of kindness, we can inspire others to also go forth with acts of kindness, then it’s well worth sharing to others. 

We have a free community food shelf not far from us. We also have a local food bank, but I realize, especially now, that people might not qualify for the food bank for varying reasons, or the food bank food doesn’t go far enough. I like to stock up on canned & packaged sale items for the shelf when I do my grocery shopping. My husband & I are retired but we are fortunate enough to have more than enough to share. 

It always gives me such pleasure to put items on the shelf. I place them nicely, so people can see them as they drive by. When I can fill up much of the shelves, it is a real thrill. Lately, when I go, the shelf is completely empty :( So many people are hurting financially & food has become so expensive. I tend to buy things children like, since I’m a retired K/1 teacher. But I also love putting tins of coffee, etc. as a ’treat’ as well. We live in a rural area, so people will leave fresh produce from their gardens & even eggs from their chickens. 

It used to be just an open, rickety shelf that was affected by the weather. Someone around the corner from shelf built a beautiful, larger shelf, with a clear, latching door that stays dry! What an improvement.

So, that is my kindness story. I mostly wanted to thank you for the inspiration to share our acts of kindness with others so that kindness can spread. 

Thank you for all you do in making the world a better place.

Mary, White Salmon, WA”

IT WORKED!  THE KINDNESS RIPPLE SPREAD!  I was giddy when I read the email.  Inside, I know that sharing stories of kindness creates more kindness in the world.  But when someone takes time out of their busy lives to sit down and tell me about it, well, that gives me goosebumps!

Since we are all here and reading, let’s share a couple of stories of where Kindness Activist money has been used lately! 

First off, it is BACK TO SCHOOL time in America.  Sadly, for many teachers, that means spending money out of their own pockets to buy supplies for their classrooms.  Teachers are already overworked and underpaid, and the thought of them having to stock their classrooms, too, frustrates me.  So, when a couple of local teachers posted that they were looking for classroom items, I knew Kindness Activist funds were perfect to help meet the requests.

Amazon really makes shopping for things like classrooms so easy!  I just took a peek at the teachers’ Amazon Wish Lists, chose some items, and shipped them directly to the educators.  Easy peasy! 

Classroom items were sent to a few teachers and included items like:  glue gun and glue sticks, bean bag chair, markers, magnets, wall paper, highlighters, a bunch of great books, and pop-its!  One teacher sent a lovely thank you and this photo of her adorable classroom (Kindness Activist funds were used to purchase the teal beanbag, doesn’t it look like a cozy place to read???)

 

I hope to treat one more teacher with some needed supplies for their classroom.  If you have a wish list for your room, please comment with the grade you teach and the wish list link!

Kindness Activist funds used on 2022 classroom supplies (so far!):  $315.32

My partner David and I recently discovered a lovely coffee shop called Sweet Marlays in Daytona Beach, Florida.  The décor is warm and inviting, the coffee and food is delicious.  But even more important than those important factors was the diversity and welcomeness of the shop.  As soon as we walked in, I could feel that the space was INCLUSIVE. 

We saw a man seated in a comfy chair talking.  I thought he was talking to someone, but it turned out he was chatting to no one in particular.  He talked about what time the baseball game was going to be that evening and who was playing.  He talked about the news.  He laughed a lovely laugh, which he broke into often.  And he did all of this at a rather loud level, and all to the general space. 

As we ordered at the counter, I asked the barista who the man chatting was and if he came to the coffee shop often.  She smiled a very big smile, told us his name, and said, "Oh yes!  He is here every day.  Sometimes he leaves to go on walks, but he leaves his things here.  Those two people at that table are with him.  They stay all day.  And since tonight is Thursday, at 5:00 pm they will go next door for burger night!”. 

Her explanation of the customers was full of joy.  She was not judging them, they were her friends and a constant in her life.  And, as David and I drank our coffee, it became clear that the 3 daily visitors were friends of everyone who came in and out of the shop.  Everyone was happy to greet them, and some sat down next to them to chat.

I asked the barista if the guests were housed or not, and she explained that all 3 of them live in the same house.  I asked if the coffee shop gave them free coffee and food, and she explained that they have a “bottomless cup” policy, which is used by these three guests 😊, and that sometimes other diners pick up their tabs. 

As David and I sat, drinking, eating, and playing UNO, I listened to the chatter of the three.  It was so sweet.  Tom, with his distinctive laugh, seemingly randomly coming up with topics to talk about to no one in particular.  The woman, seated at another table, proclaiming that she needed a can of TUNA as she had decided to make Tuna Helper when she got home.  She was concerned about her lack of tuna though, after all (she explained to her housemate seated across from her), she had only ONE CAN and the recipe on the box called for TWO.  She fretted about the situation a while and came up with a plan – call another friend and check if he was going to Dollar Tree.  If he was, perhaps he could pick her up a can!  

That idea worked, but instead of putting her mind at ease, she continued chatting about the Tuna Helper dilemma.  A woman who came in for coffee sat down next to her, heard the tale, and supportively explained, “You know, you can make it with one can!  It will work!  You don’t have to have two cans!  That’s just a suggestion!”. 

Tuna Helper situation solved, the woman moved onto explaining to her housemate last night’s dinner – brown rice - and how to cook it.  She gave the recipe over and over and over, but instead of being annoying, the repetition felt comforting, perhaps like rice itself comforts. 

I couldn’t help but think I would love to spend more time with these people and be their friend.  They seemed like very kind, genuine people.  I decided that using Kindness Activist funds to support their coffee and food at the shop would be money well spent, so I bought a gift certificate for them.  Basically, I opened up a coffee tab 😊 .  The baristas will write on the back of the paper certificate how much is used and keep a running total.

I hope we get to visit that coffee shop again.  I would love to sit down and have a chat.

Kindness Activist funds used:  $100

 

If you have never been to our home, well, at times it is a bit of an overwhelming mess…

Some nice friends have said, “Susan, your house is not a MESS!  Your house is full of KINDNESS just waiting to happen!!”. 

But the donations from sweet neighbors can pile up sometimes, and our front porch can take on the look of a thrift shop.  That’s why it is never very surprising when people see me outside on our porch and assume a yard sale is taking place. 

This was the rush of donations before the 
2021 sale!  See, a LOT!

But no – the Kindness Yard Sale is once a year, so I always explain to confused would-be-shoppers that the sale is not NOW, I am just getting things organized for the upcoming sale.  I wish I knew how to explain that in multiple languages – that would come in handy!

One afternoon I explained the situation to one woman who came up hoping to shop.  She was disappointed and turned to go.  But then she came back and explained as best she could in English that she needed $2 for the bus.

I couldn’t let her shop through the piles of donations, but I could get her bus fare!  As I handed it to her, she told me thank you (both with words and with her big smile).

I hope to see her back September 17^th and 18^th for the 2022 Kindness Yard Sale!

Kindness Activist funds used:  $2

Last story for this report. 

Imagine making a fresh start.  Like, completely starting over.  Think of all of the things you would need – pillow, towels, silverware, shoes, soap…  And, you may want a bra.

If you don’t wear bras, you might not know that they are quite hard to fit, especially for large-busted people.  The bra must be supportive, comfortable, pretty, not hot…  It’s hard to find one bra that meets all of the qualifications!  And when you find one, it is usually expensive…  But, if you are starting over from scratch, a good bra is a necessity.

That is why, when I heard about the need for a bra for a woman getting a fresh start at life, I jumped to purchase two (for those not in the know, one bra is not enough – when it gets dirty and needs to be washed you have to have a back-up).

I had the bras delivered directly to where they were needed.  I hope that they fit.  I hope that they made the recipient smile.  I hope that having new bras eliminated one worry.

May we all be granted fresh starts when we need them.

Kindness Activist funds used:  $58.24

More stories about kindness soon. 

For now, go out there and keep those Kindness Ripples spreading!!  And when you DO, please tell me about it!  Send stories of kindness you do, see, or receive to:  KindnessActivist@Gmail.com .

And if you are a teacher in need of supplies, please share your Amazon wish list.  I would like to help one more classroom, and perhaps other readers will pitch in, too!

If you would like to help keep the Little Yellow Free Pantry filled, you can find current needs the following link.  The most needed items as of mid-August 2022 are:  peanut butter, canned fruit, jelly, single servings of snacks like chips, and cans of soup.  The items needed are included, but the brands are not specific, any brand works!  at:  https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/378MMHXOYF3LP?ref_=wl_share

And remember, the 2022 Kindness Yard Sale is coming up September 17 and 18!  Hope to see you there!  More information coming soon. 

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!!