Day 43: Gave Away A Nintendo Wii

Since my daughter was born, I haven't really had the opportunity to play video games. I was never really a big time gamer, but with the new responsibilities I have as a father, I don't really ever get (or even want) to play. A few days ago I received a call from my mom and she mentioned that her co-worker, who is a pastor outside of work, was looking to get a video game system for the after school program for children in his church. Due to recent economic struggles for both the community and the church, it wasn't really in the budget to add a new video game system. Having after school activities for the children helps to keep them in a positive environment since the neighborhood has seen a downturn due to economic issues. So today's random act of kindness is to donate my Nintendo Wii, Wii Fit, and all of my games to the church. I know that the church will get better use out of it than I ever could, and I hope the children (and I am sure some adults) have a tremendously fun time playing with it.

Day 42: Donated An Old Cell Phone

Start reading this post. Now count to 9. . . . . . . . .Done? In the short amount of time that you were counting, a woman in the United States was assaulted or beaten. Domestic violence, more so than car accidents and muggings combined, is the leading cause of injury to women. Not only are the women directly affected, but it is estimated that 10 million children ANNUALLY witness some form of domestic violence. I apologize for the negative tone to start this post, but there are few things in this world that anger me more than the domestic abuse of women. Since this blog is about positivity and kindness, rather than just throw out alarming statistics and rant about the problem, I want to do my small part to help. Today, for my random act of kindness, I am donating my old cell phone to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The NCADV takes donated cell phones, refurbishes them, and sells them. They then use the money earned to fund programs that empower victims of domestic violence and helps them stay free from abuse, supports legislation aimed at ending domestic abuse, and to provide free cosmetic and reconstructive surgery to victims who bear the scars of abuse. I ask that if anyone has an old cell phone laying around, please visit the NCADV's website, and follow the steps to donate it to help support this cause. Also, below is a picture of me with the cell phone I donated (I had to leave you with some thing to smile about).

Day 41: Answered Trivia...To Help Feed the Hungry

Fact: I am incredible at trivia. I'm not sure why I have never tried to get on a game show like Jeopardy or Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, but I am supremely confident that I would do well on them. I have never really had the opportunity to utilize my useless knowledge for anything more than winning board games, but always thought there was some way I could. After recently discovering the website Free Rice, that has changed. Free Rice is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Programme that allows users the chance to answer trivia questions in a number of different categories with each correct answer resulting in 10 grains of rice being donated to the hungry. Today, for my random act of kindness, I logged on to the site and began answering questions, and within 20 minutes, had donated over 1200 grains of rice. I told my wife about this random act, and she is going to get her students to log on because it is something that can be both educational and helpful to others. This got me to thinking about the impact that we, the 366 Random Acts community, could have as a group. So I invite you to go to the website, and search for the 366 Random Acts group that I created, join, and answer questions whenever you have time. I really think that the amount of food we could get donated could be incredible. If you have any questions on how to join the group, please email me at 366RandomActs@gmail.com