Continuing my goal to support Merriment Maker’s Acts of Kindness #11kacts
Watching Tom, John, & Andy discuss Andy’s DDG mission, something stuck with me. Tom dove into the idea of Acts of Kindness & tried to unpack what motivates us, as grantees, to perform them. But he also pressed on something deeper: what prevents us from doing more?
After their conversation, I tried to imagine what I would have said if asked. What are my challenges? Why don’t I do more? & while I love answering off the cuff meaningful questions while therapeutically podcasting, I couldn’t think of a real answer.
Quick thoughts surfaced immediately, but none of them felt legitimate.
The kids? We could include them. Finances? We rarely touch the “treat yourself” category we created in our monthly budget, as most of our entertainment is free or community-based. Time? We have it. Capacity? Nah, I thrive when connecting. So, none answer felt honest.
& since I clearly don’t have a reason not to do more…let’s get to it. Enclosed is a gallery highlighting our re-imagining of Drop Dead Generous Grants!
* note, there are like SO many grantees doing great things- this is a focus on a VERY small sample size of kindness. Please read on-click here.
| Grantee | Original Mission | How We Paid It Forward | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1- Toni in England | Fancy Supper Club for homeless kids | ||
| 2- Julie in Evesham | Art Trail hello for immigrants | ||
| 3- Tom in Reading | Dinner for teachers | ||
| 4- Tania in Sussex | Bringing Dad back to Scottish roots | ||
| 5- Jo in the UK | Art supplies thank you for a kind friend | ||
| 6-Eloise in UK | Post-it Love Bomb Campaign | ||
| 7- Graeme in Scotland | 500 $1 coins to challenge starting something! | ||
| 8- Marcelo in Brazil | Bringing prodigys to chess tournaments | ||
| 9- Linzie In London | Creating & mailing postcards for strangers | ||
| 10- Heather in UK | Thanking support from homeless strangers | ||
| 11-Patricia in UK | Handmade surgical caps for kids in hospitals | ||
| 12- Helen in UK | Leaving surprise gifts & notes | ||
| 13- Phoebe | Priest to Pantomime Dame | ||
| 14- Tallulah | Becoming a tattoo artist | ||
| 15- Alex | Gifting a friend dinner as a thank you for support | ||