Janet Bedford
Volunteers
“Celebrate Random Act of Kindness Day 2014 with us. Share some Kindness.... All you need is Love and Love is all you need.... Pay it Forward.” This was the message the Oakville Community Foundation and its kindness crew partners desired to share throughout the Oakville community. Key members of the Task Force that planned this day long RAK initiative included the Oakville Community Foundation, Oakville United Way, YMCA of Oakville, the Oakville Hospital, the Halton District School Board and the Halton Catholic District School Board.
Random Acts of Kindness happen every day (we hope!)and we know that one small act of kindness can change a person’s life. Random Act of Kindness Day 2014, however, was highly organized and involved in excess of one hundred of volunteers who went into schools and other community organizations to lend a helping hand. We stopped at Kerr Street Ministries where members of the YMCA were cleaning the windows of the foyer and ladies from the Halton Islamic Association were painting the youth room.
Smiles were on everyone’s faces as they chatted, laughed and worked together to achieve a common goal. Tea time and craft time at senior’s residences , the delivering of homemade goodies and fall clean-up chores were just a few other of the tasks in which kindness volunteers chose to participate.
Lamajano Barbershop Quartet
Lamajano Barbershop Quartet on Random Acts of Kindness Day in Oakville 2014
Stories were shared on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #rakoakville. A social media contest added a great new twist with a winner telling how he/she celebrated, having the chance to win $250 to be given to a charity of their choice. Another interesting spin-off of the volunteer visits was the opportunity for networking and the creating of meaningful relationships. RAK volunteers were able to identify needs of the agencies they visited and found ongoing ways to continue to interact in the future.
Sometimes this took the form of much needed donations and for others it was discovering that a niche could be created to assist with programming needs ... these are but a few examples of the magical spin-off of a magical day.
Random Act of Kindness Day 2014 culminated as the kindness crew volunteers gathered to celebrate the end of a very successful day. The YMCA of Oakville generously opened their doors allowing the volunteers the opportunity to swap stories, for the sharing of food, drink and to enjoy the entertainment of the Lamajano Barbershop Quartet. A huge thanks was extended to every person who participated. Let’s continue to “Pay It Forward” each and every day with a Random Act of Kindness.
For further Random Act of Kindness Day 2014 information, please call Sarah McPherson at the Oakville Community Foundation at 905.844.3562 ext. 302
