Take a moment and do something nice for someone tomorrow.
Whether it is paying for coffee or bringing snacks for co-workers, any small act of kindness is encouraged.
That’s the message being promoted by the Nanaimo Foundation, which is heading up Random Acts of Kindness Day for Nanaimo.
Laurie Bienert, the foundation’s development officer, said Friday (Nov. 6) is all about paying it forward.
“When somebody does something nice for you, pay that act of kindness forward and look for little ways that you can do random acts of kindness in your community,” Bienert said.
Random Acts of Kindness Day was first organized in 2008 by the Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation and has grown ever since.
This year, there are 23 community organizations that represent more than 200 communities participating and this will be the first year that the Nanaimo Foundation and Nanaimo will be officially involved.
“One random act can lead to many random acts of kindness,” Bienert said. “We are hoping that the community embraces this day and that we see a lot of kind and good will throughout this city.”
In an effort to promote and track the amount of kindness taking place in the city, the Nanaimo Foundation has created the kindness card, a business-size card that is intended to be shared.
“If you commit a random act of kindness, pass that card along and then hopefully that card gets passed on,” she said. “We are inviting people to tweet their random acts of kindness and to share them with us.”
Bienert said it is difficult to track the economic benefits as the whole community benefits from random acts of kindness and that the day is a great way to showcase that.
“Canadians are known for their kindness and this is a good way to embrace the Canadian spirit and sense of community,” she said.
For more information, please visit www.nanaimofoundation.com or follow them on Twitter @NanaimoFDN. For additional information on Random Acts of Kindness Day, please visit www.kwcf.ca/kindness.