When I Least Expected it – Kindness Appeared

When I least expected it – A Random Act of Kindness Appeared!

For the past year, I have been encouraging people to consider doing random acts of kindness. I have read many reports detailing the good things that have happened through the program we put in place last November. Yet I was flabbergasted when I was the recipient of the very thing I have been advocating.

Allow me to explain. I had just settled down for a five-hour flight on Air Canada. I was in the window seat in the last row of the crowded plane – seat #37A. When the flight attendant brought the snack cart by, I thought that I would buy a bag of cashews and offered the attendant a $5 bill as payment.

“Sorry sir,” she said. “Credit cards only.”

I thought to myself that this was no way to do business. Why should I use my credit card for such a small purchase? So I decided that I would protest by not buying anything. Then my seatmate took out his credit card and bought me a bag of cashews. When I least expected it, a random act of kindness appeared!

In retrospect, what so surprised me was the result of this simple act of generosity. For the rest of the flight, we had an extended conversation about many things. This gentleman went out of his way to make my day better and I was touched by it in a very positive way. To use and old adage, he made my day.

We are just starting to plan for Random Acts of Kindness Day 2011. While we use a single day to highlight caring, I am pleased to report that generosity happens every day in any number of good deeds done when people least expect it. Count me as one who has experienced it personally!

 

 

Glenn Stresman is the Executive Director of the WindsorEssex Community Foundation and has over 20 years experience in both writing and evaluating grant applications.

 

 

 

 

Check out these sites for more information on Random Act of Kindness Day:

• Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation’s Random Act of Kindness Page.
• The Random Act of Kindness Foundation
• Stories of Kindness on Facebook

Building Community One Random Act of Kindness at a Time

For the past month, the Community Foundation has been promoting Nov. 12 as Random Acts of Kindness Day. I see a random act of kindness as a wonderful way to touch the life of another person. In turn that act cultivates community by promoting interaction between our residents, making our region a better place for all.

A few people have asked about the necessity of having to legislate kindness. My reply has been that we are not telling people to be kind; rather we are celebrating the many acts of kindness that happen every day, especially in the Windsor – Essex County area. We believe that sharing the many stories builds a strong sense of community needed for sustainability.

Since we have been promoting Random Acts of Kindness Day, different people have told us about previous experiences with similar programs. Cindy Rivait talked about bringing the program to Windsor in the late 1990s. Mayor Francis spoke about a “random acts of kindness” program sponsored by the Windsor Roseland Rotary Club. Janet Kelly shared information about the Windsor Family Credit Union’s Random Acts of Kindness involvement by employees at their branches for several years.

The Community Foundation appreciates that we are building the next level for a tradition that has been in place here for at least a decade. We are excited about how the program has been received this year. We are very appreciative of the generosity of our sponsors and we look forward to their continued involvement as we continue to build community one Random Act of Kindness at a time. For more information about our sponsors, visit our website at www.wecf.ca/kindness.html.

Sincerely,

Glenn

Glenn Stresman is the Executive Director of the WindsorEssex Community Foundation and has over 20 years experience in both writing and evaluating grant applications.

Additional Random Act of Kindness websites to visit:

• Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation’s Random Act of Kindness Page.
• The Random Act of Kindness Foundation
• Stories of Kindness on Facebook

New Website and Blog

WindsorEssex Community Foundation launches new website and “Charitable Thoughts” Blog!  Check it out at http://www.wecf.ca

The website features an interactive photo/video gallery, snap-shots of grants we have provided, a log-in for grant seekers and information on the Foundation and how to get involved in our community.  The site is fully integrated with our social media portals, an interactive community calendar and our newly created BLOG – Charitable Thoughts.

BLOG “Charitable Thoughts”: will be updated monthly with articles relevant to the non-profit community in Windsor-Essex.  Glenn Stresman, Foundation Executive Director, board members and other select community leaders will provide content of interest to donors and community leaders.