31 Days of Kindness

One day in August, thousands of mail carriers reached for a stack of letters and discovered a special note and a treat.  This note, from a stranger, was addressed to the mail carrier expressing thankfulness.  When NRC’s mail carrier discovered a note addressed to him with a few sealed KIND bars enclosed, we saw him place the gift back in the box and turn to go.  He was unsure if the note was for him.  But before he left, we said to him, “This one is for you.”  He read the note and a slow smile crept across his face and ours as we went back to our normal routines.

This happened in the midst of 31 Days of Kindness, an initiative by world champion public speaker Ryan Avery and his coach and founder of “The New Wifestyle” Chelsea Avery to spread goodness throughout the world.  By the end of the event, more than 15,000 acts of kindness were done around the globe and shared on on social media.  “We should celebrate,” said Ryan and Chelsea Avery in an email.  “Celebrate because we all made a difference and will continue to make a difference!”

Ancient Greek story teller, Aesop said, “No act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted."  Though described centuries ago, we find this to be true today.  Kindness is a glue that holds communities together.  It builds relationships and trust.  Kindness leads us to appreciate our fellow humans and makes this world a better place to live.  No matter the industry or position, kindness even leads to personal happiness and success.

Reflecting on our acts of kindness over the last month, NRC shares our favorite activities - ones we plan to continue throughout the year.

“My favorite act of kindness was sending the care package to the soldiers. Not only was this important to me because I’ve had friends that have served and told me how helpful care packages were to them, but it was nice to write a letter and reach out to someone whom I didn’t know to potentially create a new connection.”  -  Ashly Perez De Tajada, Survey Specialist

“I loved participating in acts of kindness that also benefited the communities we live in.  Picking up trash in the parks, recycling, supporting local business, thanking mail carriers, donating to non-profit organizations and giving books to libraries may be small actions, but they make a big impact when everyone does them together!”  - Angelica Wedell, Marketing and Business Development Coordinator

“My favorite part was the delicious snacks and treats [shared with the office] – everything tastes better when it’s made with love!”  -  Lee Tyson, Director of Operations and Development

“Besides the tasty treats, I liked the gratitude theme best of all. It felt good to recognize folks who are constantly doing good work in the background.”  -  Athena Dodd, Research/Survey Associate

“For me it was writing the thank you note to a vendor we use. They are people we work with regularly and we do say thanks at the end of emails and conversations, but the big, more formal thank-you was well deserved and felt deeply by them. We know we have a good relationship, but taking an extra moment to acknowledge that fact, made their week.  It’s nice to make someone’s week.”  -  Sonya Wytinck, Director of Research

“My favorite part of the month was that our company of 15 busy people learned about the activity and jumped in with all 30 feet!”  -Tom Miller, President and CEO

National Research Center, Inc. is a leading research and evaluation firm focusing on the information requirements of the public sector, including non-profit agencies, health care providers, foundations and local governments.  Visit our home on the Web at www.n-r-c.com.  Check out our blog for more news, tips and human-interest stories from NRC.