Thanking our school bus drivers!

The Angels of Kindness recently sent letters of appreciation to school bus drivers in the community. We wanted to express our thanks to them for the immensely important function they serve. School bus drivers have the awesome responsibility of delivering the most precious cargo to and from schools every day. Our letters will hopefully encourage them and let them know that they are respected and appreciated!

AOK gives FREE HUGS!!!

We had our first FREE HUGS activity on Saturday, October 24th at the Pingree Rd. train station in Crystal Lake. It was a chilly but wonderful experience. We were well received even by folks who chose to just "hug us verbally" from a distance. We were cool with that!

Our second FREE HUGS day was last Saturday, November 14 at the same train station. We had a great time hugging and having interesting conversations with people ranging from 8 years old to adults! Our experience with the Free Hugs is that many people really enjoy the fact that we're doing it and seem to appreciate the gesture even if they're too shy to step in for a hug.

Free Hugs... what a beautiful concept. Check out the link below to see how it all started!

UCCL's first Blood Drive a success

Unity Church of Crystal Lake had its first blood drive on Sunday, November 8th. We had 28 people attempt to give blood and 22 successful blood donations. The Angels of Kindness are hoping to make this an annual if not bi-annual activity.

Thanks to all the wonderful people who literally gave of themselves in a generous act of kindness.

UCCL Blood Drive coming this fall

The Angels of Kindness is sponsoring a blood drive on November 8 at the church. Appointments will be scheduled from 9 a.m. until approximately 1:30 p.m. and sign ups for appointment times will begin in a few weeks.

Giving blood is a simple and relatively painless way to make a big difference in the lives of others. Interestingly, 60% of the population is eligible to donate blood, yet fewer than 3% in Chicagoland actually donate! The following are important facts shared by LifeSource, the organization that will be conducting the blood drive:

- 4.5 million lives are saved each year by blood transfusion
- Someone needs blood every two seconds
- Females receive 53% of blood transfusions; males receive 47%

AOK is really hoping that UCCL and members of the community will show up BIG TIME to give blood on November 8th. Give the gift of life and look for sign ups starting in just a few weeks!

Giving blood is a kind thing to do!

Remember... you are love(d)

GREAT NEWS!!!

Our last AOK meeting on September 8th was spent assembling our new Good News booklets. These books are filled with stories of inspiration, encouragement or just plain GOOD NEWS. Thanks to an anonymous donation, we were able to make twenty copies of the book at Kinko's saving hours of time that would have been spent on a slower copy machine. Thank you anonymous donor!!

Twenty copies were brought to church on Sunday, 9/20 and 16 of them were taken by congregants to distribute to waiting rooms around the area. It is our sincere hope that people are uplifted by these stories. If this project goes well, we will continue to put together new, updated booklets after a few months and do it all again!

If I get feedback from anyone on where these booklets were placed or how they've been received, I'll be sure to put it on here!

Please remember... you are love(d)

Summer Do-ing's!

Our summer AOK activities involved writing letters to prisoners (again) and to teachers (again). This activity has proven to be quite rewarding to those of us writing the letters as well as those receiving them. We have received a number of responses from various inmates although getting a reply from them was never part of our intention. Nevertheless, the letters we've received from these gorgeous souls have been so moving. Following is the content of one of the letters we received after our initial letter writing... the card was hand made by the inmate himself and filled with beautiful artwork - the front read "Thank you so very much... God bless you my friend, A.O.K... and inside the card read:

My friend,

I'm so thankful for your words of encouragement which couldn't have come at a better time. Your words have left me in a state of much gratitude and humility. Thank you for caring...thank you for doing God's work. You are blessed with much love. Your work is surely a blessing from our God in Heaven. I hope you enjoy the card I made to show my greatness of your encouraging words. I shall one day understand why things are going as they've been... but as of now... the only thing I'm sure is that God is protecting and watching me. Dear friend, may God continue to bless you. Please feel free to write and share life again... Take care.

Obviously, receiving letters like this was encouragement for us to continue writing letters to other inmates. We are keenly aware that their value as human beings and as divine souls is no less than our own. This is an activity we will continue as well as writing to teachers again now that school is back in session!

Anyone interested in writing letters to teachers or inmates but unable to make it to AOK meetings, please contact me at randomkind@hotmail.com and I'll get you everything you need to write letters from home to either inmates or teachers. We use the church's return address on the letters so there should be no concern that anyone will have your personal information.

Kindness can change the world!

remember, You are love(d)

AOK writes letters to prisoners

On May 26, AOK wrote letters to inmates in prisons across the state of Illinois. We felt that it was important to reach out with a message of hope to individuals who quite possibly feel hopeless. We believe that what is true about one of us is true about ALL of us. Our message to the inmates was a reminder (perhaps for the first time in their conscious memory) of their Divinity. We told them of their magnificence, their potential. We encouraged forgiveness, both of themselves and of others. It is important to explore the idea that despite our mistakes, our core value does not change. We can live our lives without a conscious awareness of our Oneness with All That Is, but it doesn't change the truth that we are intimately, intricately and infinitely connected.

I am hoping to continue this practice of reaching out to prisoners from time to time. Those that participated were moved by the experience and we trust that our words of love and hope will provide a doorway through which the recipients of our letters can enter and explore their infinite potential.

Our next "regular", planning meeting will be on Tuesday, 6/9. We will continue to discuss ideas for future ways to unleash love and kindness on our community and world!!

Kindness rocks...

Please remember, you are Love(d)

Alden Terrace Visit - Saturday, May 2

Several AOK's visited Alden Terrace Nursing home in McHenry last Saturday. We split up and went about the business of unleashing love within the halls of Alden Terrace! Mike T. and I spent most of our time talking to very nice man about FOOD! We compared notes on our favorite restaurants, especially Chinese food restaurants. He did most of the talking and seemed to really enjoy our company. At one point he asked me if I had a dog and I told him about my 10 year old yellow lab... Bella. He told me I should bring Bella with me next time because the residents really love it when an animal comes around visiting. It is my hope that Bella will join us next time!

Mike G. spent most of his time talking to a particular gentleman who had quite a bit to say despite having suffered 4 strokes that have made it very challenging to communicate. It was quite obvious that Mike's interest in him really touched him and the two gentlemen made plans to visit again soon.

Eileen spread herself around a little more and was able to visit 3 or 4 residents during our visit. She chatted with some of the ladies of Alden Terrace and enjoyed her visit there as well.

We are hoping to continue to make visits to Alden Terrace and possibly other nursing homes as well. These beautiful souls surely deserve our love, respect and kind attention.

Kindness rocks!

Remember.... you are love(d)

Letter writing to teachers - April 28, 2009

The AOK gathered on the evening of 4/28 to write anonymous letters of encouragement to random teachers from Cary and Crystal Lake school districts. As with our other letter writing session, we thoroughly enjoyed composing letters to send to the teachers who are helping to shape the next generation. We feel so strongly that teachers are not only generally underpaid but are under-appreciated. It is our intention to continue the practice of sending letters to teachers. Below is an example of a letter written to a random teacher by one of our Angels of Kindness.



Dear __________,

Although we don't know each other, I am aware of your dedication to helping others. I have so much respect for the work you are doing as a teacher, in helping our children become what they are capable of becoming by inspiring their dreams.

I am sure there are many times when you feel overworked, unappreciated and discouraged, but truly that is part of every path walked by compassionate and loving souls who care about others.

This letter is a "thank you" from all of us who realize the effect you have in molding the minds of our children, giving them a solid foundation they can use in building their future. All of us have had a few unselfish and caring teachers who would not let us take the easy way out, who demonstrated higher standards and the value of holding to them, and helped us to feel the joy and self-satisfaction gained by hard work leading to success.

You are known and loved and appreciated. Know in your heart that this is true and let your light shine even brighter. You are making a difference and we are forever indebted to you.

Unlimited blessings from all of us

Kindness Rocks!

Remember... you are love(d)

Alden Terrace Nursing Home Visit scheduled!

The Angels of Kindness will be spreading the love to the residents of Alden Terrace in McHenry on Saturday, May 2 at 3:00 pm. Anyone interested in joining us can simply meet us in the parking lot of Unity Church of Crystal Lake at 2:30 pm and we'll drive over together. We expect to be there for an hour or two.

We will be visiting with residents who have limited cognitive functioning, some who have Alzheimer's and others that are in comas. We are looking forward to spending time with these beautiful souls.

I'll share details of this experience once we've completed our mission of love!

Kindness rocks!

Remember... you are love(d)

The Ripple Effect of Kindness taken from the Daily Om

April 13, 2009A Virtuous CycleThe Ripple Effect

In a world of six billion people, it’s easy to believe that the only way to initiate profound transformation is to take extreme action. Each of us, however, carries within us the capacity to change the world in small ways for better or worse. Everything we do and think affects the people in our lives, and their reactions in turn affect others. As the effect of a seemingly insignificant word passes from person to person, its impact grows and can become a source of great joy, inspiration, anxiety, or pain. Your thoughts and actions are like stones dropped into still waters, causing ripples to spread and expand as they move outward. The impact you have on the world is greater than you could ever imagine, and the choices you make can have far-reaching consequences. You can use the ripple effect to make a positive difference and spread waves of kindness that will wash over the world.

Should the opportunity arise, the recipient of a good deed will likely feel compelled to do a good deed for someone else. Someone feeling the effects of negative energy will be more likely to pass on that negative energy. One act of charity, one thoughtful deed, or even one positive thought can pass from individual to individual, snowballing until it becomes a group movement or the ray of hope that saves someone’s life. Every transformation, just like every ripple, has a point of origin. You must believe in your ability to be that point of origin if you want to use the ripples you create to spread goodness. Consider the effect of your thoughts and actions, and try to act graciously as much as possible.

A smile directed at a stranger, a compliment given to a friend, an attitude of laughter, or a thoughtful gesture can send ripples that spread among your loved ones and associates, out into your community, and finally throughout the world. You have the power to touch the lives of everyone you come into contact with and everyone those people come into contact with. The momentum of your influence will grow as your ripples moves onward and outward. One of those ripples could become a tidal wave of love and kindness.

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Thought you all might like that!

Kindness Rocks!

Please remember... You are Love(d)

Kind things ANYONE can do ANYTIME!

• Leave your quarter in the cart at Aldi when you're done so the next person finds it


• Hand out quarters for people needing carts at Aldi


• Pay for someone's toll behind you


• Leave a favorite book with an anonymous inscription in a public place


• Leave an encouraging, anonymous letter for someone in a public place in an envelope marked "This is for YOU!"


• Send encouraging, anonymous letters to: teachers, prisoners, oncology patients, random people from the phone book.... 'Taint nobody that doesn't need love and encouragement!!


• Tape exact change to a vending machine


• Pick a "random" group of people you'll pray for... for instance anytime you meet someone with a name starting with "M", anyone you see wearing green, cars with vanity plates... anything you can think of that will keep you sending conscious, loving energy on a regular basis!

Please add your own.... AND here are a few websites to check out that are dedicated to kindness!

everymondaymatters.com

helpothers.org

extremekindness.com

humankindness.org

freehugscampaign.org

payitforwardmovement.org

actsofkindness.org

kindnessusa.org

onemillionacts.com (this one belongs to our own Jerilynne Knight!)

Please let us know if you know of others that you've come across!

Kindness Rocks!

Please remember... You are Love(d)

AOK meeting April 14, 2009

Our second meeting of the AOK took place Tuesday night! We discussed a few projects that we're interested in pursuing and a few things we will entertain for a later date!


Umbrellas for a rainy day!

We have yet to have a successful umbrella give-away! We've tried twice and each time the rain has stopped just prior to our meeting time at the train station! We will not give up! We are very excited about the idea of handing an umbrella to someone who is getting drenched!

Buns in the oven:

Good News booklets - I am still collecting "Good News" stories to bind and distribute to businesses in the area. Please continue to share anything you find! The easiest way to share stuff from the internet is to shoot me the link in an email to randomkind@hotmail.com . Let's DO this!!!

Nursing home visit at Alden Terrace of McHenry - Our beloved Mike Gallery has put me in touch with someone here. I am in the beginning stages of communication with them regarding members of our group spending time with some of the residents there. For now, I'd like to know who would be interested in this activity. Please email me at randomkind@hotmail.com if you'd like to join us in this cool activity!

Blood Drive - Our beloved Hope Wallace has done some preliminary legwork for a blood drive and has put me in touch with people who can make this thing happen! Hope pointed out that this is a way to "give life itself"! What a beautiful way of putting it. We're very excited about the prospect of being able to offer lifesaving blood from the members of our awesome church community. More info on this as details become available!

Ideas for the future:

Bring stuffed animals to kids in hospitals
Volunteer at hospice for terminally ill
Write encouraging letters to patients in oncology ward of hospital
Volunteer at a local animal shelter
Buy some wildflowers and plant them in "vacant" areas around the area!
(wouldn't it be cool to see beauty that we planted start to grow in the unlikeliest places!?)

Please let Spirit inspire you with more great ideas of ways we can share the love!

I'll put more ideas, especially ones that can be done by individuals in a separate post!

Kindness Rocks!!!

Please remember ... You are Love(d)

Love Letters to the Unknown - March 24, 2009

Our first activity as the Angels of Kindness!


Six AOK's along with two angelic children joined together this night to write love letters to people we will likely never meet, but to whom we nonetheless are divinely connected!


The purpose of this activity was to choose names randomly from local phone books (Cary, Crystal Lake, Lake In The Hills and Algonquin) and write encouraging letters to those people. We had peaceful music, soft conversation from time to time and a room full of love that was palpable. I think I can speak for everyone who attended when I say that we received a great deal of joy and sense of connection from writing those letters. Everyone was encouraged to write whatever came to their heart/mind to write. A few "samples" were provided for inspiration if needed. One of the letters was especially touching and I am including it below for all to enjoy.


I think this is an activity we will continue to do on a semi-regular basis as long as there is interest. Variations on this theme are to write letters to teachers thanking them for their contribution to our youth and letters to prisoners affirming their goodness and hopefully providing a sense of hope.

Highlight of the evening - Mike Gallery made a comment to Seth's daughter, Emma and she responded with "well... we ARE all One!" Brilliant!

And now... the text of one of the wonderful letters sent out to members of our community... imagine receiving THIS in the mail one day!


Letter to an unknown soul

Hello you beautiful child of God! While I don't know you and probably have never seen you, I do know that you are loved and appreciated for all of the loving acts of kindness you have offered to others... because that is your nature. You may never realize the number of lives you have touched, but it is all recorded in Life's book.

There are times when we all put ourselves down for things we wished we would have done, or perhaps wished we had not done, but that is all part of our learning experience, that's how we grow. Remember that each and every morning is the first day of the rest of your life so don't waste a minute of it looking back. Move forward with confidence and give your all to the path you have chosen. And never end a day without telling someone you love them... even if it's yourself.

Unlimited blessings, for you and I are One.


I would like to encourage anyone who is interested in doing this to DO IT! There is certainly no need to wait until we get together as a group if this is something that tugs on your heart! Another variation of this is to write letters and instead of mailing them, leave them in public places for just the right person to find! I envision putting it in an envelope marked "THIS IS FOR YOU!"


Kindness rocks...

Please remember.... You are Love(d)

First meeting of the Angels of Kindness March 10, 2009

We had our first meeting on March 10 at the Korte building! I get the feeling this is the beginning of something BEAUTIFUL!!!

We had seven gorgeous souls attend who are interested in unleashing goodness on our community! We discussed some of the things we would like our group to do and came up with our official name - The Angels of Kindness or AOK for short!

It was decided that we will have monthly "planning" meetings where we will put our heads together and brainstorm different ways we can spread LOVE! From these planning meetings, we will schedule "events". Our monthly meetings are the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm at the Korte building.

The first "event" we scheduled was a letter writing activity which involves writing anonymous, encouraging letters to random people chosen from local phone books! This idea received great enthusiasm and so our first letter writing activity was scheduled for March 24!


Kindness Rocks!

Please remember... You are Love(d)