by Colleen Volheim, category research & analysis manager, for our Random Acts of Kindness blog series
When HRG offered to fund associates to participate in the Random Acts of Kindness challenge, I signed up not even knowing what it entailed. I just liked the idea of doing something nice randomly for someone. I appreciated this exercise because it is good practice to do something kind every day.
With my $30.00, I taught my lovely daughter, Hannah, what it means to give without expecting anything in return. Although this is something that we do as a family on a normal basis, the extra money and focus on keeping our eyes open for opportunities to share, especially with those less fortunate, gave the meaning of kindness a different spin.
The first $2.00 went to kids for a gumball and other trinkets (that parents hate having around the house) from those machines in grocery store entryways. Hannah simply walked up to the parent and asked for approval to give their child 25 cents for a treasure.
The next $4.00 went to a Salvation Army Red Kettle where a troop of what appeared to be Boy Scouts were ringing their bells. They were a nice group of young kids.
At our church, there is a giving tree. You randomly pick a tag off of the tree and then buy the gift type identified on the tag. Our tag was for an 8-year-old boy who was wishing for a video that was released that week. All of the gifts that are collected from this activity go to those that are either going through a tough time financially or other difficulty, such as an illness.
At this point, we were left with $2.00 in hand for when we were going to go Christmas shopping. We looked around and found some ways to make a few days brighter with the little money we had left.
Being provided with the opportunity of distributing $30.00 as random acts of kindness has given us far more than just the money. We brightened people’s days, created fun and great conversations, and impacted the lives of those we touched hopefully in a way they will not forget anytime soon.