We all want to live in a world full of kindness. The Random Acts of Kindness Day is every year on February 17th. These ideas are not exactly “random”, but they are easy and worth considering. Here are 10 great ways to spread good will that will hopefully start a chain reaction!
“There is no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” – Scott Adams
Best Ways for Students to Celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day
1. Create Kindness Rocks
The Kindness Rocks Project mission is that “one message at just the right moment can change someone’s entire day, outlook, life.” The purpose of creating the rocks are to “cultivate connections within communities and lift others up through simple acts of kindness.”
Consider getting together with friends and have a rock painting event while watching a movie or binge watching a favorite tv show.
One unique feature of this project is that they have a philosophy of leaving no trace. Visit Leave No Trace to see how you can participate in this project, while limiting the impact to the environment. One important thing to remember is to make sure you use eco-friendly paint when decorating your rocks.
The Kindness Rocks project reminds participants to place rocks responsibly and to seek permission for placement. So don’t leave Kindness Rocks in national parks, hiking trails, or businesses without prior permission. So reach out to your town, community or school and ask for permission to create a community inspiration garden.
To join this project, you can signup with your email to get on their email list. You can also search for a Kindness Rock Facebook Group in your area. That group can help give you ideas on places to hide your creations.
2. Pay for the Person Behind You
Have you ever been in a Starbucks drive through and you get to the window to pay and they tell you that the person ahead of you paid your bill? I have! It’s such a great surprise when this happens to you. When it happened to me, I then immediately paid for the person behind me. It was definitely motivating to pay it forward. Give it a try…you might just start doing it more often.
If you are a college student, pay for the student behind you at the campus Starbucks or other favorite campus food spot. Most college students have meal swipe cards, so it should be easy to do.
3. Donate Food to Pets of the Homeless
Pets of the Homeless is a non-profit organization that was started back in 2008. They help the homeless find pet friendly shelters and pet food providers. These pet food providers partner with local food banks, pantries and shelters so the pet food gets to those in need.
If you are reading this, I bet you have come across a homeless person with a pet. These pets sometimes are the person’s only source of comfort, loyalty and love so they are reluctant to give up their pets. Their pet just might be the key to helping them get back on their feet again.
Pets of the Homeless mission “believes in the healing power of companion pets and of the human/animal bond which is very important in the lives of many homeless.” Their task is to “is to feed and provide basic emergency veterinary care to their pets and thus relieve the anguish and anxiety of the homeless who cannot provide for their pets”
Find a pet food donation site here and help a homeless pet today.
4. Help a Friend with Homework
Do you have a knack for a particular subject in school? Do you know someone that struggles with that subject? Consider reaching out to that friend and offering your help.
Another option would be to post on your neighborhood Nextdoor website that you are celebrating Random Acts of Kindness Day by offering a hour of free tutoring for a neighborhood student. It just might turn into a tutoring job.
5. Give a Teacher a Card
On Random Acts of Kindness Day, give one or all of your teachers a card to say thank you. You will likely brighten their day and they will remember that you did something extra special for them. Teachers give so much to students and they don’t get paid much. It’s just nice to remind them how much you appreciate all that they do for students. I can’t imaging the problem our society would have if we didn’t have teachers. I am very thankful for those that have decided to give back to the world this way.
6. Send 3 Valentine’s Cards to Senior Citizens
So I know Random Acts of Kindness Day is on February 17th, but it’s just so close to Valentine’s that you could easily celebrate it a few days earlier.
Do you want to send a card to someone you know, like a grandparent, aunt or uncle? Or would you prefer to sent a card to one of the many seniors in our country that are in need of something to brighten their day.
If you choose a family member, that’s great! It’s super easy too, because you can easily get the address. If you want to choose a non-family member, check out Love for Our Elders. Every month, they post names and addresses of seniors that could use a little something to brighten their day. They are give some guidelines and the seniors back story to help you create an appropriate card/letter.
7. Volunteer at a Food Pantry
This one takes a little bit of planning, but it will help a growing problem in our country. Find a local food pantry by going to the Feeding America website. This link will take you directly to their page where you can find the nearest food bank to your zip code.
Once you find your local food bank, check out their website to see what volunteer opportunities are available. Just pick one that sounds interesting and give it a shot. They will be so happy to have your help. Some of the typical tasks might be picking up, unloading and sorting food donations.
When you volunteer, I encourage you to share on social media and tag the food bank. This just might inspire someone you know to volunteer as well. It also promotes the food bank on social media and they need all they help they can get.
8. Take Food to a Local Food Pantry
This one takes less planning, because you could just go to the store, pick up the items and go straight to your food bank. Like # 7, you need to first, find a local food pantry by going to the Feeding America website. This link will take you directly to their page where you can find the nearest food bank to your zip code.
Once you find your local food bank, check out their website to see what food items they currently need. Pick items that you can easily find. They will be so happy to have your donations.
9. Share a Positive Post on Random Acts of Kindness Day
We are so used to seeing people talking about themselves on social media. On Random Acts of Kindness Day, consider posting a simple message encouraging others to be kind. If you need some inspiration, check out The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation website for some quotes you can easily post.
10. Take Homemade Dog Toys to an Animal Shelter
Lots of animal shelters need toys for dogs while they are waiting to be adopted. This keeps dogs from getting bored while waiting for their forever home. Shelters need lots of toys because they often need to be replaced. Who wants to adopt a dog when they are chewing on dirty old toys? Contact your local animal shelter to double-check they will accept handmade toys before getting started. This is easy to do while watching a movie!
You would need 1-4 different colors of material (fleece or t-shirt) and it ideally should be 24″ to 36″ long. Cut the material so you have 4 strips of equal size that are 1-2″ wide by 24-36″ long. There are plenty of YouTube videos that show exactly how to make these toys. Keep in mind they might be using a different size of fabric, but the process is the same. The end result is a tug toy that the dogs will love!
Here is a great video on YouTube that shows you step by step how to make these:
This post is all about ways students can celebrate
Random Acts of Kindness Day.
Help spread kindness this year by doing something extra special on February 17th, Random Acts of Kindness Day!
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