Archive for the ‘Ohio’ Category

Baldwin-Wallace

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

I spent the afternoon at Baldwin-Wallace University.  Another terrific reception, I’m sure I targeted the right group to focus on, these college kids are great.  After a while, people brought me food and water, just to hear more about the entire project.

A student named Nathaniel and a couple of his buddies belong to a number of campus groups.  All said they would like to get them involved in this project after I leave.  That is really music to my ears.

Case Western

Friday, September 11th, 2009

Case Western Reserve University.  I had a terrific visit, I must have talked to 400-500 students, all seemed to love the idea and embrace the One Million Acts of Kindness (OMAK) concept.  Gary, an Economics professor, stopped by to discuss the project; he was totally supportive of the idea and offered a few suggestions I may use in the future. 

This seemed to me to be a campus with some serious students.  While many stopped to chat, they all seemed to be going somewhere and had no time to stay very long.  Most stayed just a minute or two, short visits, but very sweet. 

Increasingly, I have been asked what my schedule is and what campuses I intend to visit.

There is really no way of knowing exactly when I will be on any given campus. Some campuses may be added to this list. The only sure dates are Atlanta area by Thanksgiving and Tampa area by Christmas week.  I thought I would have been to Dayton by now but have only reached Ashland in four weeks of travels… all as a result of good things happening.

Oberlin

Friday, September 4th, 2009

I arrived in Oberlin late this afternoon, at a farmer’s market, no less.  It turned out to be a great move because I was immediately greeted by many people who were interested and enthused about what I was doing.  My welcome included a tour of the city with a long time resident Glenn, dinner invitations, a free minor repair of the bus, and an interview in the Oberlin newspaper. It’s clear that politics have no meaning in the message I’m bring to these communities. 

 

Tomorrow I’ll be volunteering at the local animal shelter and I hope I’ll be able to bring along a few students to give me a hand. All in all, it has been a great reception, the weather has been terrific and the people have responded beyond my expectations.  Their enthusiasm is contagious and I’m really starting to think I’m on to something.  I’ve been invited back in a couple weeks to meet with more people who may offer some ideas on how to “spread the word.”  I’ll certainly be there for that.

Kent State

Thursday, September 3rd, 2009

bus-at-kent-state

After years of planning, the anticipation has run at high levels and I am happy to say that my trusty companion, Bogart, an energetic Boston Terrier, and I have completed our first campus visit.  Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.  This first step has definitely exceeded my expectations.

The bus is a real attention getter and when I pulled into Starbuck’s it drew a crowd right away.  I arrived late on Tuesday the 1st, and immediately began to interact with the students.  On Thursday I was helped by an article written by Cassie Adams and the photos she took for the school paper, The Kent Stater. The article appeared on Friday morning, a real publishing miracle.  By the time I was ready to close, I’ll bet I had spoken to over 400 young adults.  What a great generation, all positive feedback and a real desire to talk about the trip and stay involved.

Please let me know through this blog of your comments.  I’ll be sure to read every one, but I’m not as sure I’ll be able to respond to each one, I’ll do my best, I promise.

View the article from the Daily Kent Stater