The Final Count…
In 2014 my family took an 18-day trip to 20 states (in the shape of a heart across America). During this trip, we did 1,000 acts of kindness. And then, I wrote an ebook about it. Which you can find here.
Here is the last blog entry I wrote about my family’s big heart shaped trip of kindness across America:
The Final Count…
Before I start listing the final count, my goal was 20 states in 20 days, and we did 20 states in just 18 days.
The states we visited were:
- Florida
- Georgia
- South Carolina
- North Carolina
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Missouri
- Kansas
- Iowa
- Nebraska
- Colorado
- New Mexico
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Alabama
13 of those states I had never visited before.
Now, for the final count on acts of kindness (The goal was 1,000):
1: Donation to Pet Smart Charities
2: Payed for someone’s beach parking
3: Gave $10 gift card to the guy behind me at 5 Guys
4: $20 Tip for hotel housekeeper
5-16: Hand out 10 bags of candy to strangers
17-116: 100 Free Wishes left at a fountain
117: Helped a guy pick out hot cocoa for his wife
118-133: Passed out 15 boxes of hot cocoa on a cold snowy day
134-148: Quarters in 15 ‘gumball’ machines
149-193: 45 Thank you notes for Soldiers
194-229: 36 goody bags for seniors at Hillcrest Nursing Home
230-240: 10 candy bags to McDonald’s crew.
241: Said a prayer for those driving in a snow storm in Virginia
242-245: Payed tolls for drivers behind me
246-310: Delivered 65 candy bags to people working on a snowy day
311-321: Completed 11 Customers satisfaction surveys
322-386: 65 Valentine Gifts for Foster Kids
387-470: 84 Flowers on Veteran’s Graves
471: Visited a Friend
472-486: 14 Lottery scratch offs left on gas pumps
487-496: Backed 10 Kickstarters
497-842: Tell 346 Strangers they are beautiful
843: Bought some guy’s dinner
844- 879: Donated 36 baby items to a Crisis Pregnancy Center
880-889: 10 hidden Starbucks Cards hidden in library books
890-949: 60 sticky notes of inspiration
950: Donation to The National Parks Service
951-975: 25 “good vibrations” CDs left of cars
976-978: Supported a local school by buying 2 boxes of chocolate and making a donation
979: Donated Snacks to Fire Fighters
980: Donated Snacks to staff at Myriad Botanical Gardens
981-1,520: Picked up 540 pieces of litter
1,521: Bought a “homeless man” a happy meal
1,522-1,551: 30 McDonald’s Sandwiches to Cops
1,552-1,652: Donated 35 toiletry items and 65 food items to a Community Action Center
1,653-1,677: Handed out 25 Mardi Gras Motivational Beads for LSMSA’s Eagle Wings Club
1,678: Gave food to some hungry travelers
1,679: Payed one final toll for the car behind me
1,679 Acts of Kindness!
WOW!
Now, looking at my numbers, you may think that I cheated a little by counting each individual item.
But the point I am trying to make is that EVERY LITTLE ACT COUNTS!
And the acts of kindness listed above are just “planned” acts of kindness. They were all done above and beyond the normal stuff like holding doors, paying compliments, and anything else that will make someone smile.
You don’t have to go on a big trip to help me prove that kindness still exists.
You have the power to do that in your everyday life.
I did this trip to hopefully spread my kindness so far that it will continue to echo on and inspire others.
And I’m not done.
How could I be after a trip like this?
Right now, I am working on spreading the word of this trip and am starting on my book.
However, be on the look out for daily blogs, inspirational posts on my Facebook page, and the continuing acts of kindness.
Like today, I bought some cookies from some Girl Scouts 😉 Kind for them…not so kind for my diet lol.
Thank you so much for all of your support and for everyone of you who have followed my journey.
I mean it when I say that you will never know how much it means to me.
Thanks again!
Kelly Airhart
“A Kind Hart in America”
