“Every 6 to 8 weeks, I take all the heavy bedding to the laundry mat and wash it. Today was that day. As I was walking out to my car with the first load, I saw a boy about 6 or 7 years old helping his mom carry in their loads of laundry. As I carried out the second load, I reached into my pocket and handed him 4 quarters, and told him, “You are a very good helper.” His eyes lit up as I handed him the quarters. And he said, “Thank you very much.” His mom beamed with pride and I just smiled and winked at her. Small acts make hearts big!”

– Amy S.

“Lee’s Summit, Missouri, just opened its fourth middle school, East Trails Middle School (ETMS). I’m sponsoring a Kindness Club there. I have 13 awesome students that have joined. Our first project was called ETMS Parade of Hearts. This is modeled after Kansas City’s Parade of Hearts. Each homeroom in our building was given a large paper heart to decorate… to tell the start of our new school’s story. We collected monetary donations along with the hearts. The money was donated to Lee’s Summit Social Services. I was amazed at some of the creativity! Our school colors are green and black and our mascot is the bison.”

– Christine L.

“My oldest sister and I have always had a strong and loving bond, as I’m the youngest. She has been through so much. Her issues include breast cancer, and macular degeneration, which has caused total blindness. In February, she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis. It is affecting her throat muscles. In November, she lost her only daughter to covid (at the age of 52). Seven years ago, she tragically lost one of her grandsons prior to his 21st birthday. I called her today and had a great talk! We always do! I call her frequently as I cannot imagine how she’s endured all that has happened and continues on. She’s definitely a fighter, by the grace of God.”

– Deb H.

“On Day 1, I created a playlist and shared it with my colleagues. Some of them answered me and promised to listen, which made me nervous, but I felt very good doing it and sharing it. Thanks!!!”

– Jessica P.

“A friend who lives in Louisiana is having a baby boy. I saved what our grandson has outgrown and sent her a large box. She was surprised and thankful.”

– Joann R.

“I decided to bring flowers for my son, but there was a little kitten who enjoyed them, too. I was able to be kind to two things – my son and my cat!”

– Jessica P.

“I took a photo of my nephews/neighbors when they were children vs. 10 years later. When I took the photo, I told them that his smile was beautiful and the photo came out with a better smile!”

– Jessica P.

“A co-worker was really nervous about an upcoming surgery. I encouraged her and gave her a big hug, letting her know she would be in our thoughts.”

– Joann R.

“I was at a Chiefs game and it was very cold. The hot chocolate lines were very long, but I waited nearly 20 minutes to get one because it sounded so good. The lady in front of me ordered her hot chocolate and went to pay using cash. However, most if not all of the stadium is cashless (cards only), and she didn’t have her purse with her. She was so disappointed. I stepped up and paid for her hot chocolate. She thanked me and tried to give me her twenty-dollar bill, but I declined. It felt good to do something like that and I hope if I were in that situation, someone would step in to help me out.”

– Shannon

“I posted in a Facebook group where it’s best to buy milk storage bags in a small city, where I had a work trip. As a new mom, I brought less than what I would need for a 4-day pumping and storing session, and lo and behold someone offered to give them for free. She even insisted on dropping it off at our hotel venue. Moments like these really restore my faith in humanity.”

– Carl

“I donated to a fund for our only facilities man at my apartment complex. He is such a hard worker and has a ton of responsibilities, which he completely takes like a champ! He has to have major surgery, which his insurance will cover. But he will have to be off of work for a very long time, and he doesn’t have enough paid time off to cover all of his other living expenses. It’s a worrisome situation and we plan to give back to him!”

– Deb H.

“I just returned from a busy morning presenting at career day at a local high school. When I saw today’s act of kindness was to ‘donate your skills’, I thought how appropriate!”

– Valerie S.

“A friend who lives on the street where I previously lived has been through a very messy marriage breakup and her son has been in the hospital for 18 months having various operations. As it was Remembrance Sunday in the UK yesterday, she was in my thoughts. I messaged her this morning to let her know I was thinking about her and suggested we meet for coffee and a chat when she has time. Her response indicated she was grateful and pleased to hear from me.”

– Susan

“Today on my Facebook memories, one showed up from 2014. It was a photo from the early 70s with my siblings and my dad’s brothers. My uncle Ed was still single and my baby sister Mary was on his lap. We lost Mary in 2018 and Ed this April. I texted the photo to his son before I read today’s act of kindness. Both are dearly missed and the opportunities to share our special memories are cherished. Being able to share part of my childhood with my cousin (he is 14 years younger) is a special bond.”

– Anne S.

“I was at the doctor’s office and had to register using my phone. It’s okay for me to do this because I know how to register using a smartphone. There was an older man in his 80s who had an appointment but didn’t realize he had to use his phone to register. I really thought the check-in receptionist would help him out, but she told him to come back up when he was finished. I asked the man if I could help him, and he said yes. We walked through the steps together which took about 15 minutes, but he was registered. My heart was happy and full. It only takes a few minutes to be kind.”

– Sally N.

“Each day, I ask my students for something they can do to show kindness. They have come up with a lot of ideas. I post an idea each day. The next day, we talk about how they did their act of kindness. Here are a few they have really liked doing: Do something nice for a teacher in the building; Draw a happy picture and give it to someone; Wave to people; Using sidewalk chalk draw a happy picture; Do something for mom and dad. These are just a few, but they are excited to talk about what they have done to show kindness.”

– Karen C.

“We were fortunate enough to get a grant for employee mental wellness for the 22/23 school year. One of the items we purchased was some journal notebooks. Our district social worker and I write a personal note to an employee along with one of the Small Changes Big Shifts cards that fits them best. We have been lucky to take them a small treat along with the notebook and hand-deliver them to each person. We are doing two dozen of these each month to try to get to all employees by the end of the school year. She was sharing this with a friend and that friend’s dad donated two dozen pumpkin muffins for us to give as a treat this month.”

– Tammy

“I bought flowers to give my boss on Boss’ Day! Gave her tons of smiles and I received a ton of good feelings and blessings in my soul!”

– Deb H.

“About three months after our grandson was born, he had outgrown his swing. I posted on our neighborhood site for a free swing. This lovely couple just starting out replied they were interested. They came to the house and I also gave them some newborn items for their unborn child. This week I reached out to them to see if they are in need of a baby bathtub and some other items our grandson has outgrown. They replied this week, thanking me for thinking of them. We will be getting together in the next week or so to give them the items for free. I know how expensive baby items are and if we can help another young couple that is what blesses us.”

– Joann R.

“When someone goes out of their way to help, I tell them they deserve a gold star for that gesture. I carry gold self-sticking stars with me and I give them one with a big thank you. I often wondered what happens to the stars. Today, I gave two employees at the grocery store these stars. The young girl at the next register said, ‘Here is mine!’ She had it on her name tag and told me I had given it to her a few weeks ago when I was in the store. It isn’t a store that I frequent, but I was very surprised not only that she remembered me but that she still wore that star with pride.”

– Mariann M.

“I gave the grocery delivery man from Walmart a cash tip plus an electronic tip. He cried and said he hadn’t eaten in several days. I had no idea.”

– Wanda D.

“My class made kindness R.O.C.K.S. – Real Opportunities Create Kindness Sharing. The students decorated rocks and want to put them around the school so that kindness can be spread.”

– Robin

“My elementary students inspired me to compile a book of more than 500 ways to be kind! In addition to a variety of specific ways to show up (which is what the Big Shifts Foundation is all about), we included some incredible student artwork. I looked all over our local library system AND the world catalog of books and didn’t find a similar book to what I was contemplating. The result is the book called Be Good Do Good. You can open the book to a random page, point, and lead by example. You can now find it on Amazon!

– David J.

“This a story about how someone else was kind to me. I was recently diagnosed with COVID. I haven’t felt well and my friend and colleague Ruth showed me kindness throughout. Today, she sent a text asking how I was feeling. About an hour later after I said I was feeling better, but not 100%, I heard my doorbell. She brought flowers and a card. These flowers are now next to my bed, where I can see them as I continue to recover.”

– Jill

“Recently, a colleague and his family were in a car accident. Our colleague is in critical condition at the hospital, so we created a fundraiser for his family to use as they need during this difficult time.”

– Jessica P.

“The hardest act of kindness to do so far was doing one kind thing for yourself. I couldn’t think of anything at first! A few days later, I thought of listening to Andrea Bocelli sing duets with famous women. Listening to beautiful opera music made me very happy!”

– Carol

“With the negativity from all forms of media, this reminder each day gave me perspective, changing my way of viewing a subject, situations, and people.”

– Joann R.