Spent most of the day talking to students. Later, I gave a pint of blood at the Student Center. A few students heard about me and thought the project was a great idea.
Archive for September, 2009
Pint of Blood
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009Wooster Day 2
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009This morning, while still trying to wake up, Jen stopped by the bus to see what it was all about. Jen is the manager of a store nearby and she said their parent company sponsors appropriate charities. She thought One Million Acts of Kindness would be a great fit for them and she was going to bring it up at her next staff meeting in October. What a great idea! And the beat goes on.
This evening, I attended a talk on campus given by Nicholas Kristoff, a New York Times writer. He spoke on the world’s issues facing us today. I bought one of his books thinking it may help get his ear for a while. It worked. He listened to the Kindness project and thought it was incredible. I’ll definitely read his book, “China Wakes.”
I also met one of the assistant deans and she said it was perfectly fine to come right onto the campus. It’s interesting how campuses vary there practices on who has access to the areas.
Kate, my coffee shop friend a few days ago, spoke about the Kindness project at a service in the Unitarian Church nearby. In fact, 2 young women later came up to me separately to tell me about it. Kate also brought a reporter from the local paper to interview me and take a few pictures. That Kate is really something. I’ll bet I talked to at least 400 students today.
Wooster Day 1
Monday, September 21st, 2009On my way to Wooster, Ohio to pay a visit to the College of Wooster. The rainy weather made me a little cautious while driving, and I soon realized I had an 18 wheeler right on my tail. I pulled into a strip mall to let him and the rest of the traffic get by. Within a minute or two, a man named Blair knocked on the door and asked what this was all about. I explained what I was trying to accomplish and his reaction was, “Why don’t we see more of this?” He walked away with a sticker and the intention to spread the word.
A minute later, one of the store front doors opened and a lady called out for me to come in for a cup of coffee. The store, Thymbles, is owned by Chris and Dale Marty, and their employee, Linda was there as well. We had a great conversation over great cup of coffee. There have been some incredible coincidences on this trip and today was one of them.
Normally closed on Monday, they opened today because this weekend is a quilting show in Chatauqua N.Y. where over 7000 people are expected to attend and they were getting ready for it all this week. They then decided that a “One Million Acts of Kindness” quilt would be a great idea. In fact, we talked about 100 limited edition quilts for the holidays. It’s really amazing how contagious this project can be. They asked for some stickers to pass out at the show and they wound up with 250.
Chris and Dale also have a mailing list with over 3000 names. Each month a newsletter goes out to the entire list. They said that next month the letter will focus on One Million Acts of Kindness. This whole thing has been unbelievable.
On to The College of Wooster. It was a bad weather day, cold and rain. While having a coffee at McDonald’s, Kate, one of my friends from a coffee shop North of the University of Akron saw the bus and stopped in to chat for a while. She invited me to attend a meeting on the campus on 9/22 on environmental issues. I thought that was a great idea, I’m looking for ward to that. Also, she got a fresh supply of “Kindness Rocks” stickers, a very popular item.
My son Alex stopped by to visit, always great to see him, we had lunch at a popular spot in Wooster, the rain chasing us inside. We chatted about the project, his activities and caught up on life in general. I was very happy to see him especially since it’ll probably be the last time till December.
Brimfield
Saturday, September 19th, 2009
Spent the night in Brimfield, Ohio. The next morning I went into a coffee shop in for my morning cup when a woman in a moose outfit saw me leave the bus and enter the shop. She asked me what time the parade started. Parade? What parade? She assumed I was going to be in the annual Brimfest parade, and when she realized I had no idea what she was talking about, she insisted I join in. I was happy to do so, a few thousand people saw the bus, some even applauded with a standing “O.” A very nice hometown parade, what a great day!
The chief of police came up and said he thought it was a great idea. Ann, an inner city elementary school teacher, saw Bogart and came over to tell me what a great idea this was. So, the pendulum swings both ways, somewhat of a downer at the University of Akron, and then a great day in Brimfield, Ohio. Life is good.
Nightime Comments
Sunday, September 20th, 2009Last night, around 10pm, Bogart and I were nestled all snug in our beds in the bus, when I heard the sound of car doors shutting. Not knowing what to expect, especially after the tomato incident, we kept quiet as a church mouse.
Soon we heard the sound of voices, adults and kids, all reading the writings that were all over the bus. One would read aloud a saying, then another, there are so many that it took at least 10 minutes for them to read all the writings and comment on each one. It was a real touching moment for me to hear their comments on the bus and my mission. I know I’m on the right track.
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