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Children / Colorado Livin'

How You Can Join Denver Parents with the Newtown Kindness Campaign

What can we do to honor the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting?

NBC’s Anny Curry asked herself this question and posted this message on Twitter on Sunday: “Imagine if we all committed to 20 acts of kindness for each child lost in Newtown? I’m in. #20Acts”

Thousands of people responded to the 26 Acts of Kindness campaign that honors the 20 children and six teachers who were killed. Social media channels Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have been flooded with positive messages.

Like many parents, I’ve been torn between protecting my children from this tragedy and making it a teaching moment. A blustery, snowy morning at the bus stop Wednesday morning made me realize knowledge motivates us to action.

My neighbor (who wishes to remain anonymous) has set the goal with her family to do 26 acts of kindness. “We’ve been feeling so helpless and isolated by all the hate that we wanted to instead focus on the positive.”

Their family of four sat down and brainstormed ideas. “Our kids got really excited about big and little service opportunities,” she said. “My 12-year-old son is really shy. He set the goal to smile and say ‘hello’ to 26 kids at school today, which is huge for him.”

Their plans include sending pizza to the local fire station, paying for the people behind them in line at the coffee shop, shoveling the walk for their elderly neighbor and putting a special surprise in each of the teacher’s boxes at the school.

“Doing 26 acts of kindness is helping us spread joy and I hope it teaches my children what the Christmas season is all about. If everyone performed even one kindness, what a big difference it would make,” she said.

Single Denver mom Jill Bender answered the call of the National and Connecticut PTAs to send one-of-a-kind paper snowflakes for a snowflake drive. When the Sandy Hook children return to school in a different building, the PTA will decorate their classrooms to look like a winter wonderland.

“My boys (ages 18, 16 and 9) thought it would be such an amazing and easy gesture. What a great way to help these kids and teachers feel the love and support of the nation.”

For more information, go to facebook.com/26actsand be sure to use #26acts when sharing your experiences on social media.

What acts of kindness have you done this holiday season?

Amber Johnson
Author: Amber Johnson

Amber is the founder and editor of Mile High Mamas, travel writer and former columnist for The Denver Post. She is a passionate community builder and loves the outdoors. She has two awesome teens and is happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin.

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Amber is the founder and editor of Mile High Mamas, travel writer and former columnist for The Denver Post. She is a passionate community builder and loves the outdoors. She has two awesome teens and is happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin.

12 Comments

  1. Ann Curry is a very classy lady. Love this idea.

  2. I am very much in to practing random acts of kindness. I’ll dedicate my next 20 to those sweet babies. RIP little ones, I won’t forget you. America won’t forget you.

  3. We need to honor these victims by coming together as a Nation like the likes that we have never seen before and start looking out for our neighbors again! No politics allowed!

  4. This is a variation (and a very welcome addition to…) “Pay It Forward.” Nearly a half century ago…(yes, dammit…I’m THAT old!) ..On my way to visit my grandmother in Connecticut. I saw an elderly couple by the side of the Henry Hudson Parkway- the car had an obvious “blow-out” flat. They were huddled under an umbrella, looking a bit wide-eyed at passing cars. It was clear that they couldn’t handle a tire change themselves. It took me fifteen or twenty minutes to change the tire (phew! they had a functional spare!) and they were set. They tried to hand me money. I declined. I can’t remember what the disaster du jour was at the time, but it was something ugly and tragically wide-encompassing. Earthquake? Huge fire? Tornado? I said for them to send it to the Red Cross. They asked me, “Whose name can we say?” In a moment of uncharacteristic clarity, I said “In the name of anyone who has ever cared about anyone else.” And I drove off. I smiled all the way to Grandmother’s house. My knees stink now, bending doesn’t work. I’ll need someone to change MY tire if worse comes to worse. But in the intervening 50 years, I’ve found a lot of ways to “Pay it Forward,” and I know, considering my good fortune in life, I will need to pay it forward a long, long time before I ever even draw even.

  5. I’m in and those parents are great. We should be doing acts of kindness every day. Sad that it takes this type of tragedy to motivate some people. A little kindness and compassion can go a long way.

  6. Some of us are more naturally empathetic and some people need an external jump-start. If someone needs a jump-start, well, at least they got started. checking out the facebook page now. #26acts

  7. I hear you, but hey I’m happy to see it happen at all. I think we should take it as a sign that it should happen much more often because others see it, and THEN it can become contagious. We certainly need our kids to see this kind of selflessness demonstrated more often if we can ever realistically expect them to have any kind of a worthwhile world to inhabit, for the future.

  8. Addicted to reading Ann Curry’s twitter feed about 26 acts of kindness. Love this.

  9. I gave a santa hat to our UPS driver and he looks great delivering holiday packages! #1 in the #26 acts.

  10. So many great ideas to #payitfoward with #26 Acts of Kindness! Keep them coming! I have never been so pleased with crying my eyes out, as I am with reading how wonderful & generous strangers are being on Twitter!

  11. My kids and I each wrote a Christmas Card to Dalton Dingus – from one of Ann’s posts – he’s trying to collect the most Christmas Cards.

  12. Thanks for this, Amber. Compassion is my soapbox and this is one band wagon I will gladly join!

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