The Random Acts Of Kindness Foundation
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Pass It On!
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation inspires people to practice kindness and to "pass it on" to others. We provide free educational and community ideas, guidance, and other resources to kindness participants through our website at www.actsofkindness.org.
Through the dissemination of ideas and the development of materials and programs, we have helped our kindness coordinators - including educators, students, community members, faith groups, service clubs, and others - incorporate kindness into thousands of schools and communities. As people tap into their own generous human spirit and share kindness with one another, they discover for themselves the power of kindness to effect positive change. When kindness is expressed, healthy relationships are created, community connections are nourished, and people are inspired to pass kindness on.
Established in 1995 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is a resource for people committed to spreading kindness. We provide a wide variety of materials on our website, including activity ideas, lesson plans, project plans, teacher's guide, project planning guide, publicity guide, and workplace resources on our website at www.actsofkindness.org - all free of charge.
The Foundation is privately held and funded. We accept no donations, grants, or membership dues. We do not provide financial assistance to individuals or organizations. The Foundation has no religious or organizational affiliations; we encourage the practice of kindness in all sectors of society.
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is the United States delegate to the World Kindness Movement, an organization that includes various nations. People in these countries promote kindness within their countries' borders and are creating a global network of kindness and compassion.
As people from different cultures and from all walks of life are joining to spread kindness, they are creating a powerful, synergistic action throughout the world. Please join us in bringing kindness and compassion to our local and global communities!
Free Hugs Campaign
Free Hugs Campaign - Official Page (music by Sick Puppies.net )
Download the "Free Hugs" soundtrack here: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=219931526&id=219931490&s=143441 Get your "Free Hugs" t-shirts here: http://www.bandmerch.com/freehugscampaign Special thanks to Sick Puppies, for the music: http://www.sickpuppies.net Contact: stepane@attglobal.net ---------- News: We would like to thank and hug every one of you for making this video Youtube video of the year! ----------------------------------------------- Sometimes, a hug is all that we need. Free Hugs is the real life controversial story of Juan Mann, a man whose sole mission was to reach out and hug a stranger put a smile on their face. In this age of social-disconnection most all of us lack that simple human touch from another, the effects of the Free Hugs Campaign are now felt around the globe. As this simple gesture of kindness and hope spread across the city, police and officials ordered the Free Hugs Campaign BANNED. What we then witnessed was the true spirit of humanity as people came together in what can only be described as something awe inspiring. In the spirit of the Free Hugs Campaign please pass this video to a friend and HUG a stranger! After all, you CAN make a difference. Music by Sick Puppies. Their album was release on April 3rd and is titled "Dressed Up As Life". http://sickpuppies.net ------------------------------------------------- The response to this video has been nothing short of overwhelming and touching. Hugs to every single one of you who messaged. There has been thousands of emails from all over the world from people seeking to participate in the Free Hugs Campaign and asking for permission. You don't need permission. This is the people's movement, this is *your* movement. With nothing but your bare hands you CAN make a difference. ------------------------------------------------
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Sites To Help You Get Started
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Don't Almost Give
1 point
The Foundation For A Better Life
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Little Brothers: Friends of the Elderly
We are a national, non-profit, volunteer-based org more...0 points
Help Others.org: Acts of Kindness
0 points
The Good Deeds Organisation
0 points
Global Action Foundation
GAF delivers free, high-quality health care to Sie more...0 points
The Way You See People By Zelig Pliskin
From Kindness: Making a Difference in People's Lives: Formulas, stories, and insights
My students have told me the following:I see people as selfish, self-centered, defensive, and incompetent. And I've seen this proven again and again. If people were better, I would be able to treat them better.
I see people as distant and unfriendly. This causes me to close up. And they probably see me the same way, even though inwardly I see myself as a friendly person.
I see people as open, warm, and kind. Whenever they aren't this way, it's because at this moment they're not really themselves. I've seen so many people open up and reveal that they are warm and kind so I know that this is the reality of the human condition.
The way you see people is the way they will be in your presence. You the observer have a major effect on the person you interact with. Radiate positive energy and this positive energy will be reflected back to you again and again.
People who view others with negative lenses bring out the worst in others. People who are fearful of others and are easily intimidated, fail to bring out the best. And those who view others in a positive light without being naïve or blinded by wishful thinking will elicit the goodness in others. This does not mean that we can trust everyone. There definitely are people who are mean or dishonest. But you have a better chance of influencing others to treat you kindly by perceiving them as kind.
The toughest people are often those who inside are small frightened children who have been emotionally wounded. View them with love and compassion and the fearful little child will feel more secure. A secure person can let go of a tough façade.
From now on be totally resolved to see people in a positive light. See beyond any outer crust of mud and soil. See beyond the negative façade. See the precious inner soul that is pure and holy. This vision has the ability to create miracle transformations.
One of my students told me the following:
I was having a very difficult time with a few individuals. They were absolutely obnoxious when interacting with me. I tried smiling to them, but they just made fun of me. I consulted a warm and compassionate person who seemed to get along well with everyone.
"How are you able to get along with difficult people who so many others don't get along with," I asked him.
"I never meet difficult people," he replied.
"What do you mean?" I asked perplexed. "I myself have seen you in friendly conversations with difficult people."
"No one is always difficult," he responded. "I see almost everyone as a caring friend of mine and that is how they respond. I still have to work on myself in this area. But I take responsibility of building up my positive view of those I still don't view this way."
RAK Inspiration
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Random Acts Of Kindness
Random Acts of Kindness
Random Acts of Kindness were celebrated by the children in our Kid's Care Club when they handed out gifts to passer's by.
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RAK Chic
Transcending Ulterior Motives By Zelig Pliskin
From: Kindness: Making a Difference in People's Lives: Formulas, stories, and insights
It is normal to have ulterior motives when you try to help others. The ultimate ideal is to transcend them. Denying them causes you to hold onto them. Acknowledge any ulterior motives you have and then you will be on the road to overcoming them.The goal is to do acts of kindness out of love for kindness and out of love for people. It is doing kindness for the pure benefit of the people for whom you are doing it. The focus is on helping another and not on what you personally gain. Being human it is natural for us to have ulterior motives at the beginning. Some of them are:
Doing kindness in order to feel that you are a good person.
Doing kindness so this person will do you favors in return.
Doing kindness so other people will have greater respect for you.
Doing kindness in order to save yourself from the embarrassment of what people will think if you refuse.
Doing kindness so you can boast about it.
Doing kindness so this person will be indebted to you.
Doing kindness so you will be loved because you are terrified that you might be unlovable.
This does not mean that we should wait to begin to do acts of kindness until we are able to have totally pure motivations. It's impossible to tell how long that will take. It does mean, however, that it is imperative for us to recognize why we are doing what we are doing. It's normal to have mixed emotions. We do a kind act in part because we want to help another person or because we care about this individual and also because we want this person to help us or because we want to feel good about ourselves.
When you meet someone who has a sincere love for kindness, you can tell. Their entire being conveys this message, "I'm glad you asked me. Whatever I possibly can do for you, it is my great pleasure to do. You don't owe me anything at all for what I have done. And please feel free to ask me again in the future." Such a person lives a joyous life out of the goodness of his heart. This is a goal worth striving for.
Kindness: Changing People's Lives for the Better
A Book By Zelig Pliskin
It's The Little Things That Make A Difference
How much would the world change if everyone showed they cared for one another: family, friends and especially strangers? How has someone made your day:*with a smile or kind word
*with a helping hand
*with a calm head and listening heart
Practice kindness every day, it's a wonderful habit!
Here's A Few Suggestions...
Random Acts of Kindness
Random Acts of Kindness were celebrated by the children in our Kid's Care Club when they handed out gifts to passer's by.
Runtime: 5:01
3719 views
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RAK Resources
- An Entreaty from St. Augustine
- One of the pop expressions of our day urges us to practice ?random acts of kindness.? It is interesting to note that there is even a ?Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.? The foundation refers to itself as the foundation to a better ...
- Random Acts of Kindness
- The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation- This non-profit has a really wonderful website full of tips and tools to help people be more kind to each other. And if you're a teacher, there are some really great lesson plans on how to ...
- Inspiration
- So last year, inspired by the idea of ?Random Acts of Kindness? I entered a photography competition in which I could win $50000 which I could travel the world with and do a project. Here was my entry: Link. Random Acts of Kindness ...
- Random acts of kindness
- I stopped at book nine, I think, when I was a lot younger), The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, The Secret Life of Prince Charming, The Foundation Trilogy, and An Abundance of Katherines. Now, about John Green. I started reading him a couple ...
How Do You Practice Kindness?
poutine wrote...
I love doing RAK whenever I see the opportunity.
It makes me feel so good.
Posted May 05, 2009
skilly wrote...
Great Lens. Love random acts of kindness. I try to practice this often.
Posted May 01, 2009
SemperFidelis wrote...
Nice work Bette. Angel Blessings on this one! ~ Colleen :)
Posted April 23, 2009
Wysiwigs wrote...
I try to practice "anonymous niceties" throughout the year (doing something nice for someone without telling a soul...'cause God knows and that's enough, right? :o) 5* for a wonderful lens - I loved the "Free Hugs" video, it was great!
Http://www.Squidoo.com/EpicFarms
Posted March 18, 2009
myfirstjobsecondshift wrote...
Wow. This is a wonderful lens. I have learned so much and will be working towards doing more acts of kindness in my community. Thanks for the inspiration.
Posted January 12, 2009
Coping With Tragedy: Fighting Terror With Kindness
By Shmuel Greenbaum, info@TraditionOfKindness
Kindness has been my personal response to terror. My wife, Shoshana, was murdered by a suicide bomber. She was one of over 100 victims that were killed or injured on August 9, 2001 at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem.Sometimes I wonder whether telling my story can really help others. Since, the way I am coping with tragedy is so different than the norm, would anyone else understand it?
Many of the rabbis that came to visit me told me a story about a carpet. "Sometimes you only see the knots on the back," they said; "Only later do you see the beautiful design on the front." I thanked them for coming and explained that I see the beautiful design now. I see the "big picture."
I have always been interested in the "big picture" - in how to make the world better. Since I was a kid, I always liked to tackle these big problems by assembling a group of experts to solve them. As a teenager I designed a system to tap hydroelectric power from the wastewater of apartment buildings. I contacted a local engineering school and assembled a team of academicians to prepare the plan for the US Department of Energy.
After my wife's violent murder, I began a project to teach people how to be kinder. The project has just started to take off. At the moment, we have more than 30,000 subscribers on six continents to our "Daily Dose of Kindness" e-mail. Everyone who signs up for this e-mail list is also automatically signed up as an advisor. As I said before, I like having many advisors. Right now, I have over 30,000 "Kindness advisors".
One of my Kindness advisors sent me an e-mail link to an article in the New York Times about how medical researches have found that acts of kindness stimulate the brain in the same place that physical pleasures do. So now medical researchers have shown that doing kindness causes enjoyment. From this you can see one way that I cope with tragedy - I receive tremendous pleasure by promoting kindness.
My favorite author on kindness is Zelig Pliskin. In his book Kindness, he presents eighty-five techniques to find new opportunities to do kindness by improving yourself and improving the world around you. In one chapter he explains how you can feel the thrill of an international sports victory every day if you visualize 100,000 people applauding for you and cheering you on when you do an act of kindness. Studies have shown that our hormonal system has actual biochemical responses even though the victory is totally a figment of our imagination.
Shortly after my wife's death, I prayed with great intensity to G-d to help me to make the world better. From the feedback I am getting from my kindness projects, it is clear that my prayers are being answered and that I am helping to make the world a little kinder - one person at a time. This feeling of Divine assistance combined with the biochemical responses to my imagined victory has given me tremendous emotional strength.
Join Us!
Be a "Partner In Kindness."
Visit our websites:
English:
http://www.TraditionOfKindness.org (Daily Jewish e-mail)
http://www.PartnersInKindness.org
(Weekly Non-Sectarian e-mail)
French:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Potentiel_de_Bonte (Weekly e-mail)
Spanish:
http://espanol.groups.yahoo.com/group/LapracticadelaBondad (Weekly e-mail)
Hebrew:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KindWordsInHebrew (Weekly e-mail)
German:
http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/FreundlicheWorte (Weekly e-mail)
Russian:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/KindWordsInRussian (Weekly e-mail)
Indonesian:
http://asia.groups.yahoo.com/group/KataKataBaik (Weekly e-mail)
Portuguese:
http://br.groups.yahoo.com/group/ParceirosNaBondade (Weekly e-mail)
If you would like to do a very easy, but powerful act of kindness, forward this lens to friends and relatives. If you know of any groups that are interested in having me speak, I don't charge a fee, other than travel from New York (if I am not already in the area).
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Random Acts Of Twitter!
- badmsm
- aka badmsm
- 331 followers
- 305 following
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- Thanx @DLindberg49 some great people @MarcMiddleton @CleanerLife @drkisane @JoeTheProducer @Twensored @johnreddish @BillShafer #ff
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- RT @ronpass Wish Seth Godin a happy birthday... by making a difference. http://tr.im/sethbday #sethbday
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- @Vader101 OOOO, Bet he's gonna get it when Michelle gets back from Paris! LOL!
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- @WendiTV Keep on keeping on. You're great and you help a lot of people. I should know! :)
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- Love to see the look on the in-laws faces, since they have been saying the kids would never be properly educated at home. ;)
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by badmsm
Bette Miles-Holleman is a retail merchandiser, customer service analyst, model and stylist with over 25 years experience in the fas...
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