Random Acts of Kindness Week: Help make the world a better place

In August of 2014, a woman at Starbucks paid not only for her drink, but the drink for the person behind her at the drive through. This led to the person behind her paying for the person behind them, and so on. That one random act of kindness resulted in 378 people paying for each other’s drinks.

This Feb. 9-15 marks the annual international Random Acts of Kindness Week. This week-long celebration is designed to encourage people to make the world a better place through unsolicited acts of selflessness and generosity.

If you’d like to participate in Random Acts of Kindness week, here’s a few ideas you might consider:

Donate unused clothing, food and household goods

Many of us tend to hang onto things well after we know that we’re not going to use them. We tell ourselves we’ll sell it or give it to someone else. However, while these items gather dust in the basement or crawlspace, there are plenty of other people out there who could be using them right now.

If you have any canned goods, clothing or household items you can spare, please donate them to your local Volunteers of America of Great Ohio drop-off location.

Be polite to those around you

It’s easy to suffer from tunnel vision when going about our day-to-day routines, but it can lead to unintentionally viewing other people as nothing but obstacles between point A and point B.

Here’s a few ways you can be more friendly to those around you:

• Let someone go ahead of you in line at the bank or grocery store
• Give a random person a compliment
• Tip a little extra at bars and restaurants
• Stop to let people turn in front of you in traffic
• Talk to people you meet in public situations

Stop and help those in need

In a given week, it’s not uncommon to see people with flat tires on the side of the road, people who are lost, or people who are asking for change for the bus. While many of us consider ourselves to be too busy to lend a hand, taking the time to stop and simply ask someone if they need any help can significantly improve their day, and potentially their overall well-being.

Make a Dayton car donation to Volunteers of America

While you might keep telling yourself that 2015 is the year you finally fix that extra vehicle you have in your driveway or garage, know that your your act of kindness and Dayton car donation will allow us to fund programs and services targeted at helping veterans, the homeless, and families in need.

If you have an extra car, truck, motorcycle, tractor or RV, please fill out our online vehicle donation form today. We can even arrange free same-day towing to pick it up if it isn’t running. Additionally, you might get more money from your vehicle as a tax-deductible donation than you would from selling it on Craigslist or trading it in.

Donate today, and have a happy Random Acts of Kindness Week!