-People help, strangers give, miracles happen-
Random Kindness / Anonymous giving
The best things in life aren't things. - Linda Godeau
If you had $10,000 and you could use it for creating ripple effect of kindness in Vancouver, what would you do?
That amount gives you 559 medium double doubles from Tim Hortons, and something to do with coffee could be a great story as well. Tell us YOUR story and random kindness you have witnessed, DOOGOOD Vancouver 2020 will make that plan come true.
DOOGOOD will create a “Heat map” with areas of Random Kindness stories, similar areas as in the picture but with Random DOOGOOD.
The following stories are from community members who have experienced Vancouver at some time, all having a story to tell. We're all connected, that's proven already by science. Let's prove it by city.
THE RIPPLE EFFECT
If you would know the impact a smile has to a random person, the kind of chain reaction for paying someone else's coffee starts, or what happens when someone responds to a homeless person, you'd probably do it more often.
Every interviewed person share their stories of random kindness and it's impact on themselves and others, and by also answering 3 questions take part in doing something spectacular in Vancouver 2020.
1. What's your Superhero name and what powers do you have?
2. If you had $10,000 to give away, how would you use it for most impact?
3. What does Vancouver mean to you? What’s best about it?
CATHIE GRINDLER
Doogood Vancouver #2, Salt Spring Island, BC
"Life is random. Be grateful for it all."
This story starts out good, gets really scary and terrible, then spirals around into wonderment and amazement. It contains so many acts of kindness that they are uncountable.
Day 1: travel to Vancouver to attend eldest son’s graduation from ACP ( Advanced Care Paramedic) program. So proud and joyous.
Day 2: get phone call. Son in hospital- seizure in sleep.
Day I don’t know cause it’s so overwhelming: Son helicoptered to Vancouver for emergency surgery.
“Glioblastoma 4- brain cancer - 12/14 month prognosis “
That is the bad part of the story, and also the start of the good part of the story.
Random Act 1: his girlfriend’s sister starts a gofundme for them while we are waiting at the hospital during his brain surgery.
Random Act 2-500: within 48 hours many family, friends, and strangers have donated a large sum of money.
Random Act 501: son and girlfriend move back to Salt Spring to recuperate in our seaside cottage.
Random Acts 502-650: help, healing, support, love, driving, caring, friendship from the community pours in.
...
JESSICA CRUICKSHANK
Doogood Vancouver #3
"Love is in the air, and it smells like coffee."
Dalai Lama once famously quoted "If you think you're too small, try sleeping with a mosquito."
Same principle works in something as small as buying a coffee for someone. 3 separate reports of incredible #payitforward coffee Random acts of Kindness surfaced during 2013 in Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa, where unidentified DOOGOOD patrons each prepaid 500 coffees (worth $800+ dollars) at Tim Horton's in each of the cities. Coffees were then given to next ones on the line.
That action became very public and caused much more Random Kindness concerning Tim Horton's and coffee.
KAREN HARMON
Doogood Vancouver #4, North Vancouver, BC
"Wouldn't it be a shame to have a wonderful life and not notice?" - Michael Neill
After writing a memoir called Looking for Normal, I discovered through research and digging up the past, why I do what I do for a living.
You see, my mother struggled with mental health issues and both my parents had dysfunctional childhoods. When they met and decided to marry, they vowed to each other that they would raise their children differently than they were raised. Healthier and happier.
My father having been abandoned by his mother at the age of five and brought up by an alcoholic father in the depression era and my mother raised by a parent who had a personality disorder which was never recognized or treated, gave them both a compassionate outlook on life.
Looking for Normal is a heartbreaking, heartwarming and humorous account of a family, which could be anyone’s family.
But it was my family.
HOMELESS IN DOWNTOWN
DOOGOOD Vancouver #5
"There are always flowers for those who want to see them." -Henri Matisse
Yogi Omar was so strapped for cash that he nearly didn't stop to help a scruffy panhandler who asked him for change on a downtown street corner just after midnight Thursday.
But just as he was about to walk away, something compelled him to turn around and offer the man food and clothing.
"I wanted to give him food more than anything else, really," Omar, 30 said.
He stopped in his tracks, though, when the man refused his offer of help — and instead asked Omar what he could do for him.”
This story happened on the streets of downtown Vancouver, on December 19, 2013 and was reported by Vancouver Sun on 12.21.2013.
EMILY ROSE WINTER
Doogood Vancouver #6, Victoria, BC
"If you carry joy in your heart, you can heal every moment." - Carlos Santana
I am a member of the Sooke To Sidney Rock Hunt and one of the Admins to the sister group Vancouver Island Painted Rocks which are found on Facebook.
We are a community of almost 11,000 painted rock enthusiasts!
More importantly we are a part of the phenomenon known as the Kindness Rocks movement.
I paint rocks and then hide them with the hopes of it reaching someone who is either struggling or simply needs a boost or hug.
I paint rocks that have cheerful images and inspirational words and then hide them where my heart leads,
such as parks, beaches, hospitals and clinics etc.
Sometimes I have handed out a rock to someone who just needed to know that I care.
What I try to do is make a difference even if it’s just a small difference.
Eighteen months ago I delivered a beautiful baby boy that was 6 weeks premature.
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Victoria General Hospital was where I spent many hours holding and praying for my new little boy.
It was a very difficult and scary time for me during those long weeks.
One particular day when I was going to the NICU to hold my baby I noticed a rock that was nestled onto the door handle just as I was about to push it open. It was a painted rock that had the words I needed to hear at that moment, “JOY”. That rock filled my heart and made me thankful for all the things that I had.
I had two wonderful boys at home and a beautiful tiny person in the room ahead waiting for me...
DOOGOOD
Doogood Vancouver #1
"Follow your heart, it knows what to do."
Precisely 7 years ago, while working at a stressful job, my achilles tendon broke during sports and my world collapsed.
I spent 6 months rehabilitating the leg and got back to that same job. Achilles tendon broke again during sports 1 week later.
I guess I didn't learn the lesson of slowing down the first time.
During that second break, I really started thinking on my life and what I want to create in it.
I learned to how to breath again, how to write again, how to walk again (simultaneously with my firstborn), and most importantly, how to slow down enough to see the beauty in life.
I've experienced so much random kindness, selfless acts of DOOGOOD in Vancouver and around the world that showing the power of it became my passion.
Examples:
November 2018 we were visiting Capilano River Regional Park with my family and had a stroller with us to take on our way back to the city. The bus (that comes only once every 20 minutes) came a bit late and was totally crowded, no way for getting in as the driver told us. We were left in the rain, with a tired toddler and even more tired parents.
We supposed the next one would be as crowded and it would take a lot of time to get back, but decided to wait for it...
"THE FRIENDLY GIRL GHOST", 6 YEARS
Doogood Vancouver #7
"Some people just seem to have the sunshine, all the time!"
I like when people play with each other. It's not nice when people don't.
Usually when I say "thanks and have a nice day", and say "thanks for the teaching", the teacher feels better and smiles. On Halloween, it was nice to go trick and treating when people gave you candies. I was the Warrior Princess, and had a sword and my dad was a Ninja Turtle. I t was funny when they gave some candy to him as well.