Help Others.org: Acts of Kindness

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Kindness Stories

Below are some of the kindness stories we've received. If you have a story to share, do send it to us! You might also enjoy our weekly newsletter.

The Gift on the Sidewalk

--posted by kath1, on Jun 19, 2013

Today, I was babysitting my two-year-old friend, Liam. He was feeling sad and wanted to stay inside with his mom and dad. I tried everything to get him interested in playing outside with me. Nothing worked. Finally, as a last resort, I took a shiny new penny out of my pocket. I tossed the penny down the sidewalk and then chased after it. It must have looked fun, because he joined right in! On one of my tosses, the shiny penny rolled down the sidewalk and appeared to stop near a Christmas tree that was laying next to the gutter, waiting to ...

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The Math of Sharing Meals

--posted by appreciateall1, on Jun 19, 2013

One day, I came across an elderly lady sharing her food with a dog. This made a lasting impression on me because she seemed like she didn't even have enough food for herself. Yet she still made the effort to share. This got me thinking. In my entire life, I have always had enough. Neither my family nor I have ever gone hungry. I often give thanks before eating a meal, but just saying words of gratitude at dinner or lunch doesn't seem like enough. I felt the need to do more. I wanted to share my good fortune with others. As ...

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Hospital Cafeteria Kindness

--posted by zmansmom16, on Jun 18, 2013

The other day, I wandered into the hospital cafeteria to grab a bite to eat after an appointment. While having lunch, I spotted this older woman who had bought only a small amount of french fries.

She sat by herself and ate. Then, I overheard her ask the young lady at the cash register how much it would cost to buy a drink. The cashier informed her that they were different prices, depending on what she wanted.

Upon hearing this, the woman walked back to the beverages to pick one out. While she had her back turned, I snuck up to the cashier and paid for her drink. All I asked was for her to tell the woman it had been paid for, and to wish her a Happy New Year.

Later on, while walking to the elevator, I spotted the same woman and said hello. She had the biggest smile on her face as she greeted me.
It just felt good. :)

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Lessons from a Mother's Love

--posted by cking, on Jun 17, 2013

About eight years ago, I was a new teacher in the local women's minimum security jail, where most of the inmates are incarcerated for drug offenses. During one of my classes, a woman was crying and in a lot of pain. Her 17-year-old daughter had been recently assaulted. She wanted to see her, but had no way to get to the hospital 30 miles away which cares for children with no health insurance. Having a daughter the same age, I asked the superintendent if it would be possible for me to drive the woman to the hospital. I was granted permission ...

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Smile Cards In Class

--posted by JoyD08, on Jun 16, 2013

I am a 6th grade teacher and I use Smile cards in my class!
I assign each student one on Tuesdays. They have a week to use it and then they write about it the following week.

At first they were hesitant - but now they love it and can't wait until they get a new one! It's helping them realize how being kind makes them feel good about themselves and makes others smile :)

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An Umbrella to Brighten a Day

--posted by tjordan, on Jun 15, 2013

On my way to work I would see this older man sitting beside the road and waving at everyone who passed by. I noticed that he sat there every day even if it was raining or very hot outside.

One day while going to work I remembered that I had a beach umbrella at my house, so I turned around, got the umbrella, and took it to him. He was so happy and for about another six months I saw him sitting beside the road waving at people from under the umbrella.

I later found out that the man had passed away, but I hope that the umbrella made his days more pleasant while he was making everyone else's days more pleasant.

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Sunday Night Kindness Deliveries

--posted by MakeSomeoneSmile, on Jun 14, 2013

Last night was date night with my little girl. She wanted to conduct another Kindness "Special Ops" Mission for our evening. That afternoon, we made up some kindness envelopes full of a smile cards, a few dollars and a special note. She decorated the outside of the envelopes with smiley stickers and the words "Open me, I’m a gift for you!" She wanted to go to the mall and secretly place envelopes around to spread some Christmas smiles. When we dropped our first one and walked off without being seen, the look on my daughter's face was priceless. She was beaming ...

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Rice In Chennai Station

--posted by heartofflesh, on Jun 13, 2013

I was having something to eat at the central railway station in Chennai when I noticed an old man entering the canteen. He asked the man behind the counter for some food but, as he obviously couldn't pay, none was forthcoming. So, I indicated to the canteen worker to serve some rice and paid for it without the old man noticing. The old man had the food and left. And I was left with a warm feeling of love and compasion. "It is in giving that one receives." Thank you Saint Francis of Assisi! ...

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Teaching English Helped Him Be Seen Again

--posted by mmz_1329, on Jun 12, 2013

I am an Iranian man who has been battling cancer for the past two years. A transpant has meant things have been better over the past six months. It means I have a lot more time to spend online learning new things. I have a friend in England who is really feeling home-sick. It's making him quite depressed. He would tell me that he didn't want to do stuff, he just wanted to be left alone, and so on. But I didn't want to leave him in his depression. So, I asked him if he could teach me English! Even though we ...

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A Smiling Face at the Store

--posted by PassionateM3, on Jun 11, 2013

I needed to get some supplies to clean the house this weekend, so I headed over to a local store. While walking through the aisles there, I realized that I wasn't smiling at anyone. That was out of character. I almost always smile at strangers with the hope that it might brighten their day a bit. But in that particular moment, my mind was focused on events that had bothered me earlier in the day. Not really in the mood to smile, I thought, Oh well, and continued through the store. When I went to check out my things, I was ...

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