When the temperature in The Kindness Bus drops into the 30s overnight it takes lots of blankets and a whole bunch of inspiration. Only as far south as northern South Carolina, I now realize that next year, by early November, I need to be well into the Florida peninsula.
Nights of a bit of discomfort I may start experiencing are soon overcome by the image I have had hanging on the ceiling of The Kindness Bus and which had hung on the walls of my previous two homes.
His eyes are what were so powerful. A boy of about eight years of age I would guess, but those eyes, those eyes are not his. Those eyes are those of an eighty year old. An eight year old boy with the eyes of an eighty year old, how could this be? This young man from Darfur sitting awkwardly near an old plastic container, with water no doubt, his lifeline, staring at me with his very tired, aged eyes. He in his home of bent limbs and branches with tattered worn fabric stretched loosely over the makeshift, arch-shaped wood. The boy is in his hut trying to stay out of the elements sitting on the dirt floor. My mind starts to pose questions. Does he wonder when his water will be replenished? How far did he walk with those bare feet across the hot, barren land to the safety of a neighboring country? How hot is it? Mosquitoes? Flies? Food? Is anyone there to comfort him?
But, those eyes, what did those eyes see? An eight year old boy witnessing and living a life no one should have to live. Witnessing what the militia did to his mother, his sisters, his brothers and father. A boy staring back at me from halfway around the world. Helpless to help him. A feeling of complete hopelessness shows on his face. His eyes, the prominent feature. The boy, if he speaks at all, speaks a language that is completely foreign to me. His eyes speak to me though, in a language I understand. His eyes speak every language. You just have to choose to listen.
Please help us spread our message of a Goal of Kindness to schoolchildren across the country. Your donations are crucial to making this a reality.
Mail donations to:
One Million Acts Of Kindness
PO Box 770054
Lakewood, OH 44107
You can also donate through PayPal:
Bogart is my travel companion on The Kindness Bus Tour for the next ten years. We will be on the road traveling to campuses across the country. Bogart is a eight year old Boston Terrier. He is a great people dog... he loves meeting new people. I am Bogart's fourth owner in his short 8 years of life... Not because of him but because his three previous owner's lifestyles changed after they took him in... Lucky for me!! Bogart is the luckiest, most spoiled dog on the face of the earth. He loves the bus and he loves to travel. Please come and visit him when we are on your campus.
The Blue Bird Corporation donated this amazing bus to One Million Acts of Kindness, allowing us the continue this initiative. It has been painted to closely resemble the original Kindness Bus. It will last well beyond the ten years of this mission. A very big thank you to Blue Bird from Bob Votruba and Bogart too!!
The original Kindness bus has been donated to a professor at Virginia Tech who will use it on campus and at schools in the Blacksburg area. The Kindness Bus will continue to inspire and comfort residents, students and visitors in that area for years to come.
One Million Acts Of Kindness is a goal. A goal for each person to individually perform One Million Acts Of Kindness in their life. Can you imagine a greater goal for one's life? It is a constant mind-set of kindness every day of your life for the next fifty-five years. Doing for others and kindness in your heart for everyone. It is my wish that you will dedicate your life to a charity... finding the passion in your heart for something or someone in need.
As a father of three college age kids I am concerned for the world in which all kids will live. A great way to create a safer, more caring world is for everyone to start their lifetime goal of One Million Acts Of Kindness. So I bought a bus, had about sixty family members, friends and neighbors help paint it and began a ten year journey with my Boston Terrier, Bogart, to college campuses across the country hoping to convince as many of you as possible about this much needed movement for this world. I love you guys too much to sit back and not do anything about this. Let's start a kindness movement in this country today to change the direction this world is headed!! You are the change that this world needs.