Today I am posting a random act of kindness that took place yesterday. I had it planned for a couple of weeks, but when the opportunity arose to send Myrna to the Bulls game, I knew I had to leap at it. Although I am posting a random act from yesterday, I will be doing a few random acts of kindness for my wife just as an "I Love You" to her (and so that I don't miss a day).
Every year here in Chicago in April, you will notice volunteers at stop lights and street corners in bright white smocks asking for a donation in exchange for Jelly Belly jelly beans. They are there to raise money for Misericordia, which previously I had no idea what it was and just wanted some Jelly Bellys. Misericordia is a 31-acre campus here in Chicago that offers a community of care for over 600 adults and children with mild to profound developmental and physical disabilities. They have incredible programs ranging from on-campus art, baking and fitness programs to community employment to physical therapy. They are doing such great work to ensure that, regardless of any sort of disability, every single person has the chance to be a meaningful member of the community.
After a few emails and phone calls, I was able to track down Sharon Keane, one of the residential directors for Misericordia. I let her know that I wanted to volunteer to be one of the Candy Days volunteers and she was very welcoming. So, today (yesterday?) for my random act of kindness, I braved the surprisingly freezing temperatures, and collected money on the street corners for Misericordia. For the first 15 minutes, I really had no luck. Then a high school lacrosse team walked by and each one gave money to the cause. At that point, the money started to pour in. There were some people that even threw $10s and $20s in the can. My friend Brian even stopped by to donate prior to going to watch the Bulls destroy the 76ers as predicted (Get Well Soon Derrick Rose). It was a fun random act and I was able to meet some great people.
It sounds like Misericordia does great things for helping those with disabilities and also has a fun way to get the community involved. When I read the title, I thought that Misericordia was possibly a brand of candy and now I "get it."
ReplyDeleteWhen I got to the end reading your post, however, I almost felt sorry for the 76ers (since I'm in Philadelphia)....until I remembered that I haven't been a fan of that team since Allen Iverson and Larry Brown were with them, so who cares?!!! That's not to say that I'm a fan of the Bulls either, lol, so I just hope that the game was fun for all who went last night.
~Nicole
Blog: The Madlab Post
@MadlabPost on Twitter
Dear Ryan. i have been following your journey for only a few days now.I firstly want to thank you for starting something like this. I think it has huge potential, wich is the reason why I am actually writing this to you. I want to ask you if you would mind if I start something simmilar in my hometown in South Africa? I wanT to start it only for a few days at a time mostly in the local schools in my surrounding area. I think that this may have a potentially great impact on our children and local community. I have no intention of trying to take the spotlight, but will be glad if I can get your blessing and possibly some tips should I need some help.
ReplyDeleteJohan,
DeleteOf course start something like this in South Africa. My goal is to spread the kindness mission to as many parts of the world as possible. In no way are you taking any sort of spotlight as I don't want it to be on myself anyway. If you need tips or anything, feel free to email me at 366RandomActs@gmail.com
Ryan
really heart touching
ReplyDelete