Today’s #BeKind21 message is from GivingTuesday.
At GivingTuesday, we believe in the power of radical generosity – the notion that someone’s suffering should be as intolerable to us as our own suffering. We also believe that each and every one of us has something to give. Whether we’re donating money to a nonprofit, helping a neighbor or holding the door for a stranger, the way we show up in the world can have profound implications to both us and those around us.
In 2020, we saw unprecedented spikes in giving around the world during #GivingTuesdayNow on May 5 and GivingTuesday on December 1. Community leaders in Toronto inspired organizations, individuals and families to create chalk art offering messages of hope to passersby they may never meet. In communities around the world, people placed posters of hearts or rainbows in their windows to lift spirits of neighbors and essential workers. In Okinawa, Japan, military spouses filled the machines of a laundromat with quarters so those without funds could still wash their clothes. In Venezuela, citizens came together to distribute masks and safety equipment to neighbors who are unhoused.
Imagine what we could do if we each embraced this spirit every day. Or at least every Tuesday, to start.
Your kindness challenge today: Think about what you can give to impact your local community. A few ideas:
- Create a Little Free Pantry or fill your community fridge
- Volunteer your time with a local organization. Many even have virtual opportunities available
- Mow your neighbors lawn after mowing your own.
- Tape bus fare to a bus stop for someone else to use.
- Offer to pick up groceries for your neighbor.
Click here to get your ideas, and don’t forget to share how you shared kindness with your community! When we share our generosity, it inspires others, turning a ripple into a tidal wave.
In Kindness,
GivingTuesday
P.S. Invite someone to join the challenge: bornthisway.foundation/bekind21.
