Ripples of Kindness

We had the blessing of participating in Random Acts of Kindness Day by making an impact at home or in the life of a stranger. Our generosity created a ripple effect of smiles and joyful tears and inspired others to “pay it forward.”

February 17 is National Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Day. With everything going on in the world, we wanted to celebrate this year by brightening the lives of others. The students were not the only ones that participated in this effort. Our staff, volunteers, and supporters also performed random acts of kindness. There were so many encouraging good deeds performed, including giving a gift card to a struggling family, spending quality time with someone who has been going through hardship, and one student showed her single mom kindness by leaving her an encouraging note that said, “You got this,” and doing chores around the house. Everything that each person did was inspiring and helpful.

Our students thrive from moments that give them a purpose by knowing they were able to do something nice for someone else. This is why at Pathways, students are given the opportunity to volunteer in our community each week, year-round. Taren, a Pathways student shared, “I already help my mom a lot around the house, especially with our dog who is old. I thought about what else I could do for RAK, and that’s when I thought about my elderly neighbor Richard. I wrote him an encouraging note and got him some Lindt chocolates.”

Pathways looks forward to participating each year in National Random Act of Kindness Day and encouraging others to do the same. Pathways knows that together, we can build a stronger, kinder, more resilient community, and what better way to start than with an individual act of kindness.

Here are some more inspiring things our students did for RAK:

“I helped with collecting the trash. I love to help collect and shred paper for recycling, too.” -Matthew T.

“My brother Experienced an act of kindness this Morning, when his car would not start, a young man offered to give him a boost. I also helped my mom by walking our dog.” -Tiffany M.

“My act of kindness was to encourage my dad because he works so hard and gets up at 4:00 am to go to work.” -Paige C.

 “I made a card for my grandmother.” -Tessa G.

“I plan to do something nice but I am still thinking about what I am going do.” -Christian T.

Here are some more inspiring things our staff did for RAK:

“My family and I donated a big bag with several things for the homeless shelter.” -Robin Taylor

“My family and I helped at the homeless shelter and I also wrote encouraging notes to patients when I was at the hospital.” -Megan Stitt

“At a homeless camp I served communion with 8 believers and shared about healing and the grace of God provided us in our salvation.” -Scott Isley