Random Act of Kindness Day returns for its fourth year locally!
The WindsorEssex Community Foundation
wants to remind everyone that Friday,
November 1 is Random Act of Kindness Day in Windsor-Essex!
Now in its fourth year in Windsor- Essex County, the program
encourages residents to celebrate kindness by picking up a RAK card, performing
a simple act of kindness for someone and passing the card along – inspiring
him/her to do the same. Each year we are
inspired by individuals and groups celebrating kindness by interacting with
their fellow citizens in positive ways.
In addition to performing an act of
kindness and passing on the RAK cards, we encourage all our people to report
stories of kindness on Facebook @WindsorEssexRAK, Twitter #WERAK, and by email
to kindness@wecf.ca. Be sure to post your
experiences on Friday, November 1st.
So, we encourage all to celebrate
kindness with us on Random Act of Kindness Day. Individuals, groups, and
businesses are encouraged to perform one simple act of kindness for someone
else; a neighbour, a friend, a co-worker, or someone they don’t even know – and
hand them a card, inspiring him/her to do the same.
A Random Act of Kindness can be as simple as:
|
ü Buying someone a coffee
ü Giving items to a food bank
ü Paying for someone’s parking
|
ü Donating with Canadian Blood
Services
ü Helping someone load their car
ü Praising someone’s efforts
|
More ideas,
resources and stories from past years are available at www.wecf.ca.
There are so many ways to participate and have fun
at the same time!
In a 2011 speech in Vancouver, His
Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada,
commented, “Helping a friend move; mowing a neighbour’s lawn; checking in on an
elderly relative; or even paying for a stranger’s coffee at the drive through –
all these deeds show us to be a caring nation. Imagine all of the good deeds
that go unseen and unsung.”
The Governor General’s comment reflects the community
we live in where so much kindness happens every day. Let’s take a moment to not
only recognize when someone does something nice for us, but to also do
something positive in return.
###
Random Act of Kindness Day is an inclusive, community building
initiative that was developed in 2008 by the Kitchener Waterloo Community
Foundation. Since that time it has spread to 15 regions across Ontario and
Alberta. It is sponsored locally by the
WindsorEssex Community Foundation. RAK Day encourages the ‘pay it forward’
philosophy and gives people an opportunity to show kindness.
The WindsorEssex Community Foundation (WECF) is a perpetual community
trust that manages donated funds, makes grants to support community programs,
and facilitates working relationships between community organizations. As one
of Canada’s 191 community foundations, your Community Foundation helps
Canadians invest in building strong and resilient places to live, work, and
play. Since 1983 the Community
Foundation has granted $5 million dollars to organizations who are helping to
make Windsor-Essex a better place to live, work, play and grow.
For further information please visit our
website or contact:
Glenn Stresman
WindsorEssex Community
Foundation
Phone: 519-255-6572
(office), 519-566-0009 (cellphone)
Fax: 519-255-6936
gstresman@wecf.ca
by Tim Fairhurst
Biz X Magazine
