Acts of Kindness Challenge Accepted

On any given day here in Chestermere, you will find residents visiting the local businesses. In the hustle and bustle of their lives…running errands, picking up dinner….or grabbing that much needed caffeine boost. However, if you happened to be out and about around the dinner hour on September 17th, you may have been the recipient of a gift upon your arrival.
The YELL group of Chestermere received a challenge as part of the Hundreds & Thousands Inspiring Acts of Kindness initiative. A mysterious benefactor took notice of the YELL group and asked if they would help kick this campaign off in Chestermere…..and in true YELL fashion….the challenge was accepted.
The YELL group was provided with ten $25 gift cards for four different businesses in Chestermere….Tim Horton’s, A&W, Dairy Queen and Starbucks. The YELL kids were then instructed to split up in to teams and stand post at these locations and surprise unexpecting patrons with a gift card.
As operation Acts of Kindness unrolled….. some recipients found it hard to believe that they were being given this as simply a no strings attached gift. But once the initiative was explained, looks of surprise and confusion turned to smiles and gratitude – even inspiring to share the love and keep the initiative going.
Ruby Gibbins was a gift card recipient and had this to say, “A very nice young lady handed me a Tim card in the drive through about a half hour ago. I was very surprised it was for $25. Made me feel good so I decided to share her kindness and asked the Tim’s clerk to share the remaining $23 on coffee for people behind me. So young lady, “Thank You” and I hope you don’t mind that your generosity went further.”
“My friend and I had just pulled up to the Starbucks drive thru, when a young girl ran up to our vehicle. She handed me a card that said “Hundreds & Thousands Inspiring Acts of Kindness.” When I opened it up I was shocked that I had just received a free $25 gift card to Starbucks. It made my day. I think this campaign is a really good idea, because it shows that there are genuine, kind people out there. It encourages others to pay it forward, because knowing that you made someone smile is a great feeling.” said Morgan, another recipient of the act of kindness surprise.
If you visit the website for Hundreds & Thousands (www.hundredsandthousands.ca), you will see phrases such as “throw kindness around like confetti”, “it starts small” and “no act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted”. Acts of kindness can be the smallest of things, and in accepting this challenge, the YELL group has shown that.