With over 10,000 Kindness Certificates printed from the One Million Acts Of Kindness website, I have been inspired to promote the printing of hundreds of thousands of more over the next two plus years. I love goals and this one will be met. By the end of the calendar year 2012, I am setting a goal of 1,000,000 certificates printed from the website. I believe that a great way to inspire a child is to hang one of these personalized, framed certificates near the switch in their bedroom. Make it one of the most important items in the room. For it is.
I need volunteers to reach this all-important goal. If you have any ideas on helping, please contact me at:  thekindnessbustour@gmail.com

Bogart hit the big 2 – 1 yesterday. Three years as a dog, times seven in people years. Twenty-one years old is a good place to be if you’re a dog. This pampered pooch is in his prime. He has taken on his own persona, living up to such a noble name and being of such diminutive stature. At this young age, Bogart has had a life of travel and adventure. He is fast becoming the most popular dog on college campuses across the country. When we go to a new campus, he is the first one that students want to see, I guess I can’t blame them. Bogart has even had international attention in newspaper articles throughout Europe, prompting me to give him the nickname, Bogarto. His first children’s book is written, with a few more revisions needed and is nearly ready for the illustrations. This dog is only going to become more popular as time goes by. Not bad for 21.

**Please forward this blog to everyone you know.
 1.) The 2nd annual One Million Acts Of Kindness Week takes place February 14th through the 20th, there are many kindness weeks and days throughout the world, I believe that there should be 52 Kindness weeks throughout the year. A year-long Kindness week which never ends. With only 2 1/2 weeks of planning, the 2010 One Million Acts Of Kindness Week had nearly 80 schools, groups and businesses take part. Our goal for the 2011 week is two thousand group participants.
 2.) Near the top of the homepage above this article is a One Million Acts Of Kindness Certificate which can be viewed and then printed by clicking on the link. A person’s name can be typed in or written on the certificate. The certificate is a pledge of a person to perform One Million Acts Of Kindness in one’s life. The certificate can then be hung in a bedroom, dorm or office. It is estimated that there have now been over 10,000 certificates printed.

The University Circle area of Cleveland is one of the busiest in the city. This is a great area for The Kindness Bus Tour as people of all ages populate this area. My first stop was at the dedication of a small park to honor Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a local Congresswoman who passed away a few years ago. There was a great crowd of people who loved that I would show up after an event like this. Most everyone thought Stephanie would have loved One Million Acts Of Kindness.
With the Case Western University campus being close to the dedication, I headed there to talk to almost 300 students to take the One Million Acts Of Kindness lifetime challenge. I had many students from my two previous visits to this campus tell me that they were thankful I was back for more at their school.

Forty-six first grade students were my audience today. Bogart and I arrived in The Kindness Bus ready to talk to their class and perform the kindness puppet show. Miss Trehan and Mrs.Rinallo, the teachers of this very orderly double class, helped to teach these children about the importance of being kind. Mrs. Beach, the principal of this school, stopped by to be a part of the lesson and helped by taking Bogart for a walk, as he was the only one who had a hard time sitting still. I love talking to kids this age, you can tell by the looks on their faces how interested they are in what someone has to say.
A big thanks to Melanie Trehan for taking the time for organizing our visit to this campus. As I was packing up my props, the classroom was having a discussion about the lessons learned and talking about being kind. I wish we adults learned as fast.

Having to have oral surgery is low on everyone’s list, except perhaps the surgeon’s. The pain of yesterday’s surgery was masked by some sort of wonder drug making me wonder where I was at times. Getting up and out this morning was short-lived. I went to a venue where a talk by local county government officials took place and promoted my “Cleveland, The City Of Kindness” campaign, I received 82 positive responses vs no negative responses.
Not to miss an opportunity of President Obama coming to Cuyahoga Community College in Northeast Ohio, I headed to this campus and positioned myself where no one else was standing with my Let’s Make Cleveland “The City of Kindness” sign, as his car passed by my sign in clear view, he did a double-take. I’m putting him down as a “yes” to my campaign.
I was contacted today, by the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation to do a short article on One Million Acts Of Kindness for their website. I am honored beyond words. Not bad for a three hour day.

It has been just about 1 year since I started the Kindness Bus Tour and a few thoughts come to mind.

I’ve spent the last 12 months traveling to places I have never been to and seeing people who I have never met and who never expected to see me.  On a daily basis, I encounter a few challenges and usually the first one is arriving on a campus and finding a parking place that has the visibility to enable me to talk to as many students as possible.  Lately, much of my day also includes interviews and speeches. I like that a lot. I also find a creative spot for a picture of Bogart that I can include in my daily blog.

By day’s end it’s time to find a bite to eat, an overnight place to park the bus, and get some sleep.  My continued thanks to Wal-Mart for allowing campers to park in their lots overnight, since that is where I often settle down.  If I cannot find a Wal-Mart, a truck stop has fit the bill.

Evenings are spent with some housekeeping chores and writing my blog on my Blackberry.  If I’m lucky, I can find a laundromat nearby and an Anytime Fitness center where I can get some exercise and a shower.

By the time I’m ready to turn off the flashlight, it has typically been a 12 to 16 hour day.  Just another day of the most rewarding work I have ever done.

I’ve become adjusted to living without some of the things I took for granted most of my life such as hot and cold running water, a television, a kitchen, a full bathroom, and others.

Life on the bus has been without amenities, yet very comfortable once I got used to it.  My 5 miles per gallon, 60 miles an hour “carriage” has been (so far) easier to maintain than I anticipated.  I soon came to the realization that the only items I will ever need are on the bus and I now understand that “Having few possessions is actually a luxury.”

All in all, it has been a year of hard work and incredible rewards. People have embraced the Kindness project beyond my expectations and I can see that this effort is still only in its infancy.  I can’t wait to begin year 2 and add a children’s series of books, a newsletter and many more things to continue the spread of Kindness.

I have loved every minute, I have found Nirvana.