A smiling family of five looks on as one of their party, a toddler wearing pigtails, solemnly accepts a flower from a woman at Random Acts of Kindness Day 2 in Bath, Maine. Each family member - mother, father, two daughters, and a son - is holding a flower, gifted by this kind community member.
As part of our kick-off for the Scarborough Kindness Project's celebration of National Random Acts of Kindness Week, we decided it would be fun to learn more about the people responsible for Random Acts of Kindness Day in Bath, our inspiration. Here is some of their story, as told by Darreby Ambler.
Q: Can you introduce yourselves and tell us how you got involved with Random Acts of Kindness Day in Bath?
A: I'm Darreby Ambler, I'm a volunteer at Morse [High School], and I created and lead the Morse Dream Team. The Dream Team's purpose is to get several students together who each have something that they really, really want to do - their own personal project - and work as a team to help each other get everyone's goal done.
Q: Where did the idea for the first kindness day come from?
A: One day Bryanna [Ringrose] had been fed up with how unkind someone had been that day, and said to Taylor [Bisson], her best friend, "Why can't we have just one day where everyone in town was kind to each other?"
Together they brought the idea to their Team.
Q: About how many businesses and residents participate each year?
A: We've only done Kindness Day twice. The first year we thought we were just going to do it once, but it was so popular we promised to bring it back. So, we had 2 businesses the first year, 15 our second year, once they knew what it was, and we are hoping for even more this summer!
This past summer (again, 2nd annual Kindness Day) we had about 30 Kindness Meisters (individuals in the community manning the various tables and stations, and probably 300-400 people who drop in).
Bath is a town of only 9300 people, and this event happens on one of our four downtown blocks. This year we had people coming from miles and miles away - and I'm sure this will only increase with time as people come to know it and build it into their schedules.
Q: What is your favorite kindness station? Top 3 would be fine if you have difficulty choosing.
A: I love the Wisdom Station. That is where 4 elders from the Plant Home (our retirement home) come and are prepared to share their life wisdom with anyone passing by. I've heard conversations ranging from "Should I try to sell my house in this terrible market?" To "I'm about to become a mother in law....what is your best advice on keeping the peace with my daughter in law?" To "what did you guys do before the Internet?"
Have your Portrait Drawn by a Child is hugely popular. So is the Pat-a-Pet station, where sweet animals from the community take turns being loved by (and giving love to) people walking by. Last year we had two adorable Guinea pigs who even stole the limelight from kittens and dogs!
Write a Love letter to yourself, the Knitting Relay (where you can stop by and knit a row - or a hundred - to make scarves to help the needy in the winter), the Listening Booth where someone will simply listen to you, without judgement....HOW CAN I CHOOSE????
Maybe my favorite is all the "roving stations" that kids come up with. One little girl made up hundreds of slips of paper that just said "kindness" on them and gave them out to everyone she saw; a little boy made jewelry for people, another little boy offered to draw anything on request, a little girl made magnets and handed them out.
Q: Do you feel like Bath is a kinder place since starting this annual celebration?
A: It was already a very kind place - but this gives people a way to show all that good feeling and have it magnified!
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about Spotted in Bath?
A: I started the Spotted in Bath FB page inspired by Spotted in Spotted in Windsor (check it out!) which is out of Windsor, [Ontario], Canada and has basically the same goal I do - to herald acts of simple kindness we all see every day. I deliberately DON'T include businesses or charities and their many acts of goodness because they have other venues to publicize those. Instead this is a page just to give a shout out to the individuals, the everyday heroes who do kind deeds as they go about their lives: the gentleman who stops to help someone get a big piece of furniture across the street, the lady who waits patiently in line and then let's someone needier go ahead of her, the child who gives up his place at the parade so a smaller child can see, etc. If you think of the large and public acts of kindness and charity as the big warp threads supporting our community, you can think of the thousand tiny individual acts as the finer woof threads woven in between them. Woven together, they are strong, and hold our community together.
Q: Do you have any advice for other towns wishing to raise consciousness around kindness?
A: First, of course, is to "be the change you want to seek in the world." Bryanna models kindness everyday in fun and creative ways - putting flowers on people's windshields, giving out compliments, donating to friends' causes. She inspires ME, and I'm three times her age!
And get the word out. I've found that people are hungry for good news.
Q: Is there anything I didn't ask, but you feel compelled to share?
A: Yes. Our ongoing theme, and what charms people so much, is that there should be no money involved AT ALL. This isn't a time for charities to have a jar out. Instead, we have charities manning tables where they give away cookies they've made (The cosmopolitan women's club) or wildflowers (the Bath Garden Club all donate flowers from their garden), etc. Someone should be able to fully participate in kindness day with zero cents in their pocket.
Similarly, when you ask businesses to participate DON'T ask them for money or donations. They get hit up all the time. We are very clear with our wonderful local merchants that this is a chance - IF THEY ARE INSPIRED - for them to do something for the community in their own way doing something that gives them personal delight. So, a gallery owner with an artistic bent made crowns for everyone going by in the doorway of her gallery (she called it "The Coronation Station" - "come be a queen or king for a day"). She had a blast. Some stores may choose to donate things, but I think you start by asking if there is something they would like to DO, not give.
You all are AWESOME for doing this. Let us know how we can help!
Q: Is anyone else feeling absolutely inspired at the movement a couple of high school students (and their wise mentor) set into motion? Me too!
Thank you Bryanna, Taylor, and Darreby for letting us share your story!
Love, love, love the wisdom station. Sign me up!!!
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