I found the sculpture, in the picture used today, in front of the Communications Center by the Courthouse in Kansas City. It sums up one of the biggest hurdles advocates have to face when dealing with victims; communication. One of the most difficult actions a Domestic Violence victim MUST choose to do, is speak of the evil that happens. It is the most important part of the process.
Police Captain Mark Folsom, Commander of the Special Victim’s Unit in Kansas City, MO put in place a program rarely used before it became mainstream. Officers use an eleven question approach. If victims answer yes to certain questions, a red flag goes up and advocacy is called to meet with the victim to encourage dialogue. There was a big drop in every category of offenses, in its first year of existence.
It is crazy hot in Kansas City today, the temperature reached a sizzling 104 degrees. I was on my bike by 6:30 AM and pretty much wilted by day’s end. As luck would have it, on one of my trips back to The Kindness Bus a young woman with her husband and daughter were near the bus wanting photos of The Kindness Bicycle. Unbelievably, she used to work at Hope House in Kansas City with NNEDV President, Sue Else several years ago. She is now a school counselor and I could see her eyes brighten when I handed her a Kindness Certificate to remind her to print one for each of her students this and every school year to come.
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.