I have yet to figure it out, but nearly everyone rides their bicycle faster than I. Discounting the streamlined aerodynamic features of The Kindness Bicycle, I am still one of the slowest cyclists on the road.
Near the end of my “century” ride yesterday, I was stopped by Steven Carre, a Marine, who spotted the WoundedWarrior sign on the bike. During our powerful conversation, Steven also told me he owns a bicycle shop, called Bike Effect. He looked at The Kindness Bicycle and told me he would like to make it ride as good as it was designed to perform.
This morning I stopped by Bike Effect. www.bikeeffect.com A large group of cyclists was assembling for a road ride. Steven introduced me to many of these great men and women. I also had the pleasure of meeting Alison, the other owner, Larry, who was assigned the honor of masterfully transforming The Kindness Bicycle to like-new condition and Scott, one of the other professional mechanics. The Kindness Bicycle was the “beast” among these high tech, precise machines the other riders were sporting. I saved face with saying to one of the riders, “just as it is with life, it’s not about the equipment you have, it’s what you do with that equipment.”
During my day of “recovery,” I stopped at a very popular outdoor workout areas in this town. It is a place of very fit people. I took The Kindness Bus and just let things unfold on their own. Some incredible conversations took place. Two of the most important were with local teachers. Toby, a local 1st grade teacher says she is always looking for great programs to bring into her classroom; One Million Acts Of Kindness fits the bill she said. Noelle and her friend Amy stopped by. Noelle is a former school counselor. She now teaches kindergarten and was tickled pink over the Kindness Certificates and One Million Acts Of Kindness Week. If both of these teachers “run with the kindness ball,” great seeds of kindness can take hold in their students lives. I love letting kids know that they are part of “The Kindness Generation.”
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.