Mark your calendars, Victoria. Friday, Nov. 4 is the second annual Random Act of Kindness Day in the region. Just as Valentine’s Day is the customary day for people to celebrate love, Random Act of Kindness Day is a time to celebrate kindness — for friends, family and even complete strangers.
Last year was the first time this special day was celebrated in Victoria, and it was a huge success. Hundreds of school children coloured “smile cards” that were then given to seniors in care facilities around the region. Thousands of residents picked up “kindness cards,” passing them along to be used again and again to alert people that they’ve been touched by a random act of kindness.
For the past few weeks, the kindness cards have been circulating throughout the community. They encourage the cardholder to perform a simple act of kindness for someone — a neighbour, a friend, a co-worker or someone they don’t even know — and then hand the card over to that person, encouraging him/her to do the same.
Your random act of kindness can be almost anything you like: buy a coffee for someone, compliment a colleague, act as a sounding board for a friend, even something as simple as hold open a door for a stranger — each act provides us with an opportunity to make kindness a priority.
Random Act of Kindness Day was started in Canada in 2008 by the Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation. This year, dozens of organizations representing hundreds of communities across the country will be participating. On Vancouver Island, community foundations in Parksville/Qualicum, Nanaimo, Tofino/Ucluelet and the Alberni Valley are all involved.
Locally, the Victoria Foundation is co-ordinating the day’s activities, along with the Times Colonist, Island Savings and Heart Pharmacy. Kindness cards are available for free at all local partner locations. More info is available at victoriafoundation.ca.
The Victoria Foundation has been promoting a theme of belonging for 2016, our 80th anniversary year. It’s a theme that fits in perfectly with Random Act of Kindness Day. At our last anniversary event, the Wellness Matters community conversation held on Oct. 12, Mayor Naheed Nenshi of Calgary spoke about Three Things for Canada. This national initiative to get Canadians each to do three things for their country is another example of the kind of initiative that builds belonging in our communities.
So here’s your challenge Victoria: make kindness a priority on Nov. 4 and do something special for someone else. It will brighten their day, and, who knows, it might create a chain reaction. And don’t forget to spread the word on social media using the hashtag #RAKdayYYJ.
Sandra Richardson is CEO of the Victoria Foundation.
