Taking Actions Day 2017 - October 21
The fourth annual "Taking Actions Day" was on October 21, 2017. On that day, me and my friends, Jakub and Jeniffer, hit once again the streets of Washington, DC, to help as many people as possible in 12 hours, as we celebrated Taking Actions' 7th year anniversary. We passed around our "Taking Action Day Card" to those we interacted with for them to pay it forward by passing on the card, along with a good deed to someone else.
Agenda for Taking Actions Day 2017:
10:10 am – Drop off at Silver Spring Metro Stop 10:16 am – Metro to Columbia Heights Metro Stop 11:00 am – Columbia Heights 12:30 pm – Metro to Gallery Place Chinatown Stop 01:00 pm – Gallery Place/Chinatown 02:30 pm – Metro to Smithsonian Metro Stop 03:00 pm – Walk on the National Mall to Wash. Monument 05:45 pm – Metro to Dupont Circle 06:15 pm – Dupont Circle 07:45 pm – Metro to Silver Spring Metro Stop 08:30 pm – Silver Spring |
It was a nice day in Washington, DC! We did 39 acts of kindness to approximately 450 people. For the detailed list of all of the acts of kindness with specific times and locations click HERE. During the 12 hours of this event we interacted with more than 600 people. These are the acts of kindness we did:
-Add $ to expired meters and left notes (2)
-Buy a gift for a friend (1) -Buy a snack for a stranger (1) -Clean metro carts -Feed homeless people (19) -Give $ to local artist/street performers (4) -Give $ to people in need (1) -Give ~60 Taking Actions wristbands during free hugs -Give bead necklaces to children (9) -Give cigarette to a stranger (1) -Give directions to a stranger (3) -Give flowers to strangers (2) -Give free hugs to strangers in about 2 hours (53) -Give generous tip to a server (1) -Give high-fives to strangers in about 2 hours (30) -Give lanyard to a child (1) -Give lollipops to children (11) -Give recyclable totes (3) -Greet and hold door open to strangers in 30 mins (140) -Leave encouraging/inspirational notes in cars (35) |
-Let people get on the train first (8)
-Listen to a stranger (2) -Make donation to a random non-profit -Make people smile and honk for peace & love (65) -Offer bookmark to a stranger reading a book (1) -Offer flowers to a stranger (1) -Offer food to a homeless person (1) -Offer recyclable totes to a stranger (2) -Offer to buy movie tickets for a stranger (2) -Pay for a stranger’s parking space (1) -Pay for someone’s meal (3) -Pay for someone’s movie ticket (2) -Pick up someone else’s trash (3) -Return lost item to owner (1) -Say hello to strangers throughout the day (~20) -Support a local vendor (3) -Take a lost item from someone who couldn’t wait for the owner (1) -Take pictures for someone else (4) -Thank fire department with goods |
Here are some of the pictures we took to document that awesome day:
Throughout the event we interacted with people from different paths of life, and we had a great time helping others. Many people were surprised as of why we were doing this, but they were inspired and motivated to pay it forward.
One of the the acts of kindness that we did during this event was making a donation to a random non-profit. By 9pm, we asked a stranger to pick a number between the nominated organizations (see list below), and #9 St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was selected as the winner. The donation was submitted on 10/22/17 (receipt below).
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As part of our "Taking Actions Day," we encouraged our supporters to participate in our 31-Day Kindness event by doing something nice for someone else. We added $1 to our fundraising for every act of kindness shared on social media (using hashtag: #TakingActionsDay) in October 2017. We doubled it and added $2 instead for each good deed shared on the actual Taking Actions Day 2017.
This year, in order to motivate participants to share their good deeds, I personally shared/posted an act of kindness for each day, during the 31-Day event (play below). |
By October 31, 2017, 19 supporters had shared 183 good deeds on social media, including 9 done on Taking Actions Day (10/21/17), for a total of $204. We rounded it up to $220, and instead of one, we chose two winner organizations ($110 for each).
On November 1, 2017, by 8:30pm, we randomly selected the 2 non-profits from the 21 nominated organizations, and #8 Sickle Cell Disease Association of America Northeast Florida Chapter Inc. and #11 Wounded Warrior Project were selected as the recipients of our annual 31-Day Kindness fundraising (receipts on right). |
We also asked our supporters on social media to pick a number between the 19 supporters who shared their good deeds during our annual 31-Day Kindness event, and the chosen winner was: Dawne Brown. We sent her a gift of appreciation (Taking Actions t-shirt) for inspiring and motivating others to pay it forward.
Check out our Taking Actions Day 2017 Facebook Event.
Check out our Taking Actions Day 2017 Facebook Event.
Here is the list of all the organizations that were nominated during this event, and all the different act of kindness that were shared by our supporters on social media, in October 2017.
Nominated Organizations, Causes, Foundations and/or Charities
1. Alzheimer's Association by Dawne B.
Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. 2. WALK a MILE in MY SHOES~~~on the Path to PEACE!!! by DonnaChristine P. We are a SHOEString global outreach 'Ministry’ designed to advocate and facilitate individual empowerment through the 'simplicity' of sharing a single pair of 'gently-loved' shoes with folks having no shoes at all. 3. Guyanese Girls Rock, Inc. by Dianne M. We are a non-profit foundation established in 2016 that is dedicated to empowering Guyanese girls to create their own paths to success through mentoring, personal development, and scholarships. 4. Angel Warriors (Christmas Angels) by Dawne B. Our group was created to help needy families throughout the year. We take new and gently used toys, clothes, personal hygiene, and non-perishable items. 5. St. Marks United Methodist Church by Tracey H. We are in Lima, Ohio. We run a free food/clothes pantry three days a week and free produce on Thursday. We recently had a community day that was open to the public and everything was free (food/clothes/haircuts etc.) 6. CODEPINK: Women For Peace by Sergei K. We are a women-led grassroots organization working to end U.S. wars and militarism, support peace and human rights initiatives, and redirect our tax dollars into healthcare, education, green jobs and other life-affirming programs. 7. St. Baldrick's Foundation by Ann-Drea F. We are a childhood cancer charity funding the most promising research to help find cures for kids with cancer. Yes, we are indeed those crazy head-shaving people. 8. Sickle Cell Disease Association of America Northeast Florida Chapter Inc. by Michael M. Our mission is to advocate for and enhance our membership’s ability to improve the quality of health, life and services for individuals, families and communities affected by sickle cell disease and related conditions, while promoting the search for a cure for all people in the world with sickle cell disease. 9. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by Sheila B. We advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. 10. Lost-n-Found Youth by Luis A. We are an Atlanta, Georgia based nonprofit that exist to end homelessness for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) and all sexual minority youth. 11. Wounded Warrior Project by Elaine C. We are a nonprofit organization whose mission is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors. We serve to raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of severely injured service men and women; help severely injured service members aid and assist each other; and provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. 12. Smiles Forever Animal Rescue by Lynda R-K We are a 501c3 companion animal rescue located in Fincastle, Virginia. We try to rescue the animals that are most in need, those on the euthanasia list for space, medical issues or resource guarding. We are not breed specific. We rely on donations and volunteers to rehabilitate and rehome the animals. |
13. Bwindi Community Orphans and Vulnerable Centre by Nuwaagba S.
We aim to provide the best education, shelter and health facilities to the orphans and the vulnerable people we care for. 14. Covenant House International by Cheryl F. We are the largest privately funded agency in the Americas offering free 24/7 crisis care and on-going support for homeless kids and teenagers in need of a safe place to go. In the 42 years since our doors opened, we have served over one million homeless youth. 15. Children’s Heart Foundation-Pennsylvania Chapter by Cheryl F. We were formed in 2008 to support The Children’s Heart Foundation’s (CHF) mission- to fund the most promising Congenital Heart Defects research. Since it was founded in 1996, CHF has funded 62 research projects with over $7.4 million. We support this effort by hosting fundraisers across Pennsylvania. We are all volunteers, working together to fund the research that will save and improve the lives of heart children. 16. Hospice of the Valley by DonnaChristine P. We provide compassionate end-of-life care. We support patients and families and relieve suffering in all realms—physical, emotional and spiritual. Our staff is available 24/7. Most services are delivered in patients’ homes. We serve thousands of families every day throughout central Arizona, including greater Phoenix. No one is ever turned away from Hospice of the Valley, regardless of insurance status or financial means. 17. Helen's Hope Chest by DonnaChristine P. We are a non-profit that fulfills the dreams of thousands of children and teens in foster care by providing them with quality clothing, school supplies, books, gift cards, toys, games and more at no cost to their foster parents. 18. MANA (Marines, Army, Navy, Airforce) House by DonnaChristine P. Formerly known as Madison Street Veterans Association, we are a peer-run organization of homeless and formerly homeless veterans offering personal, individualized basic resources, community and advocacy for all veterans. We help support veterans rebuilding their lives by providing support from our staff and partners. 19. JBJ Soul Kitchen by DonnaChristine P. We seek to provide healthy, organic and locally grown food in a restaurant setting. We empower individuals by providing volunteer opportunities in exchange for a dining certificate for themselves and their family and by providing job training in the food industry. We allow our paying customers to effect change in their community by paying it forward to cover the cost of volunteering customers. We promise to treat all our customers with dignity and respect, while uniting communities and forming healthy and lasting relationships through food. 20. Rosa's Fresh Pizza by DonnaChristine P. We feed the homeless through our Little Rosa Program. 21. Lake Cares Food Pantry by Joyce K-V We are a need-based organization whose goal is to feed the body, educate the mind and lift the spirit of all individuals. We accomplish this with a dynamic group of volunteers who source donations, package nutritious food to stretch a family’s food supply and distribute that food to qualifying residents in the City of Mount Dora, FL, and surrounding communities. |