The Ripple Effect

This month, thanks to Yahoo! and their generous donation, I had the opportunity to participate in their bid to spread random acts of kindness. The premise is this:
"Your single good deed, big or small, can inspire others and cause a ripple effect of kindness that continues to grow as others join in. Start something today - the more people who take action,the larger your ripple will become."
I spent quite a bit of time thinking about how I would spread the kindness this holiday season. I thought of extravagant ideas, lump sum donations, and even specific individuals. But, what I decided was I wanted to reach as many people as possible in hopes of bringing a smile to their morning. Last Friday my 2 year old and I went to Starbucks. We pulled the managed aside, handed him $100 dollars and told him we wanted to pay for coffee for as many people as possible in the drive-thru line. He was shocked, but excited! As we waited for our order I got to see at least 5 people drive away with curious smiles on their faces. I later learned that roughly 25 customers were able to get a little kindness that morning. It felt good to know we could do something so simple to brighten their day. But, I decided I didn't want to stop there. Hubby and I decided to match the $100 offered by Yahoo! and will be donating it to a new business in Atlanta that is working toward helping homeless animals. This business, an upscale thrift shop, is set to open in January and will be donating all of its profits to local animal rescues in the area. Two of our very dear friends, Toby and Tanya, have dedicated their life to helping animals and have decided to take that dedication even further by opening this store, Second Life. I am excited for them and completely in awe of how far they will reach to help animals both in Georgia and as far as the Bahamas. These two generous souls have been working tirelessly to get the store up and running by the first of the year and the least I can do is contribute to their amazing cause. In an effort to help spread kindness even further I hope you'll consider making a donation to their store - showing them not only how much we value their cause, but also exactly how far a ripple of kindness can reach.

It doesn't take much - What kindness will you spread today?