February 9, 2021
Category: Safety
The Sweetest Random Acts of Kindness from Around the Internet in 2020
As Random Acts of Kindness Day comes around each year, we’re inspired to look for the best in humanity. From strangers doing good deeds to selfless acts of service, random acts of kindness pervade every part of the internet -- and our lives. We’re taking a look at some of the most heartwarming random acts of kindness from 2020 to celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day and to remind us all that being kind is always the right thing to do.
Photo courtesy of 14 News
In Warwick County, Indiana, a group of 10 women called the “Jingle Belles” decided to do their own random acts of kindness for the holidays. They collected over $1,000 of their own money to give out to strangers, targeting small local businesses and even a few cars in the Chick-fil-A drive-thru.
The women decided to make their random acts of kindness truly random, picking people off the street to hand money to and serenade with a few Christmas carols. Above all, the women said that they wanted to send the message of kindness, no matter how seemingly small or insignificant.[1]
Random acts of kindness have thrived even in the pandemic. An 85-year-old woman from Oakmont, Pennsylvania was inundated with birthday cards after her birthday last June. Because of COVID-19, her long-planned celebration had to be canceled, but her sisters reached out to the community to ask for people to send her a card, even if they didn’t know her firsthand.
The response was much more than expected. She received 168 greeting cards, almost exactly twice as many as the age she was celebrating. To pay forward these random acts of kindness, the woman decided to keep the cards in a stack and rotate them once a day, praying daily for each person who sent her a heartfelt card.[2]
Memorials come in many forms. When Staff Sgt. Geoffrey Burleson lost his life in 2016 due to combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder, his wife and daughter kept his memory alive through a willow tree that he’d planted in front of their house in Northern Virginia. They called it the Daddy Tree, a reminder of his life and their love for him. In April 2020, the tree was ripped from the ground during a windstorm, devastating his family. The Burlesons reached out to a Facebook group in their county, leading a crew of people to come and try to help save the tree.
Photo courtesy of NBC Washington
Sadly, the tree could not be saved, but all was not lost. A former Marine named Ryan Donnally took the wood from the fallen tree and turned it into wooden pens that the Burlesons could use to keep the memory of Geoffrey alive. Donnally also included a heartfelt letter along with the pens, reminding the Burleson’s that Geoffrey’s memory “lives in your heart and within you.”[3]
Photo courtesy of NBC
William Manning, janitor at Arvada High School in Arvada, Colorado, has dedicated 14 years of his life to serving students. When his car was stolen in the middle of the night, he worried about how he would continue to do his job. The high school students who knew him decided to help out. They set up a GoFundMe page to raise money – and raised $4,000 in just two days.4
Photo courtesy of FOX 26 Houston
After a fire destroyed their home two days before Christmas in 2020, the Modlies family in Houston lost everything. Their story was featured on the news in Houston, and shortly after, an anonymous donor called the news station. He gifted the family with $100,000 and a week’s stay in a hotel. This was surprising and exciting news for the family, which included Catherin Modlies and her 11 children, ranging in age from age 2 to 23.5
Random acts of kindness aren’t just limited to Random Acts of Kindness Day. If you’d like to celebrate with your own random acts of kindness, find some easy, helpful ideas in this blog post.
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