Taking Actions Day 2018 - October 20
The fifth annual "Taking Actions Day" was on October 20, 2018. On that day, me and my oldest nephew, Diego, hit once again the streets of Washington, DC, to help as many people as possible in 12 hours, as we celebrated Taking Actions' 8th 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 2018:
10:16 am – Drop off at Glenmont Metro Station 10:16 am – Metro to Columbia Heights Station 11:00 am – Columbia Heights 12:30 pm – Metro to Gallery Place/Chinatown Station 01:00 pm – Gallery Place/Chinatown 02:30 pm – Metro to Dupont Circle Station 02:45 pm – Dupont Circle 04:15 pm – Metro to Smithsonian Metro Station 04:45 pm – Walk on the National Mall to Wash. Monument 07:30 pm – Metro to Silver Spring Station 08:00 pm – Silver Spring It was a little chilling day in Washington, DC! We did 38 acts of kindness to approximately 430 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 (6)
-Clean metro carts (4) -Feed homeless people (18) -Give $ to a random taxi driver (1) -Give $ to an employee at a work place (2) -Give $ to local artist/street performers (6) -Give a “Taking Actions Day” t-shirt to a stranger (1) -Give a compliment to a stranger (1) -Give a sticker to a child (1) -Give bead necklaces to children (4) -Give directions to a stranger (2) -Give flowers to strangers (2) -Give free hugs to strangers in about 2 hours (73) -Give generous tip to a server (2) -Give lollipops to children (8) -Give recyclable totes (2) -Give Taking Actions wristbands during free hugs (47) -Help someone with dropped items (1) -Hold door open to strangers in 30 mins (81) |
-Leave encouraging/inspirational notes in cars (68)
-Lend metro card to someone (1) -Let people cross the street (1) -Let people get off the train first (11) -Let people get on the train first (17) -Let someone ahead at metro gate (12) -Let someone go first on escalator (4) -Listen to a stranger (1) -Make donation to a random non-profit -Make people smile and honk for peace & love (67) -Offer food to a homeless person (1) -Offer water to traffic conductors (2) -Pay for someone’s meal (5) -Pay for someone’s movie ticket (2) -Recruit someone to do acts of kindness (1) -Say hello to strangers throughout the day (~20) -Support a local vendor (2) -Take pictures for someone else (3) -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. We asked a stranger to pick a number between the nominated organizations (see list below), and #13 National Multiple Sclerosis Society was selected as the winner. The donation was submitted on 10/21/18 (receipt on right).
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 2018. We doubled it and added $2 instead for each good deed shared on the actual Taking Actions Day 2018. By October 31, 2018, 16 supporters had shared 202 good deeds on social media, including 10 done on Taking Actions Day (10/20/18), for a total of $244. We rounded it up to $250, and instead of one, we chose two winner organizations ($125 for each). |
On November 3, 2018, by 8:30pm, we randomly selected the 2 non-profits from the 25 nominated organizations, and #8 Point Hope and #16 Last Hope K9 Rescue were selected as the recipients of our annual 31-Day Kindness fundraising (receipts below).
We also asked our supporters on social media to pick a number between the 16 supporters who shared their good deeds during our annual 31-Day Kindness event, and the chosen winner was: Feriah Kaya. We sent her a gift of appreciation for inspiring and motivating others to pay it forward.
Check out our Taking Actions Day 2018 Facebook Event.
Check out our Taking Actions Day 2018 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 2018.
Nominated Organizations, Causes, Foundations and/or Charities
1. 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. 2. KultureCity by Sheila R. Our mission to create a world where all individuals with autism and their families are accepted and treated equally. We provide tangible help, fulfilling the here and now needs for these children and their families. We created programs aimed at serving these children directly, for instance our art and music camps. 3. American Cancer Society by Jonathan P. We are nationwide, community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. Our Global Headquarters are located in Atlanta, Georgia, and we have regional and local offices throughout the country to ensure we have a presence in every community. We promote healthy lifestyles to help you prevent cancer. We research cancer and its causes to find more answers and better treatments. We fight for lifesaving policy changes. We provide everything from emotional support to the latest cancer information for those who have been touched by cancer. 4. Bishop Dudley Hospitality House by Peggie M-A We are in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and we offer daytime and overnight emergency shelter for the homeless and vulnerable. For overnight services there is room for 80 men, 20 women and seven families at the House. A wide range of other social service providers offer additional essential services aimed at providing a hand up to those in need. 5. BeLoved Asheville by Maya B. We transform lives, and implement solutions for a better community for all. We believe that community is the key solution to our toughest community struggles. We are people of all different backgrounds coming together to embody love and to share our gifts to create healthcare for all, food for all, arts and entrepreneurship for all, housing for all, and equity & power for all. We do that through innovative projects and grassroots advocacy making a difference from the ground up! We are powered solely by volunteers. 6. 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. 7. Provision Project by Amy B. We provide financial relief to women in active treatment for breast cancer. Every member of our board has been affected by breast cancer, either directly or through a close family member. It is an insidious, devastating disease. We have united against our common enemy because we have seen what the pressures of breast cancer do to the decision-making process of a woman in the middle of a fight for her life. 8. Point Hope by Amy B. Our mission is to raise awareness and champion the cause for forgotten children, whether they are refugees who have fled with their families from their homelands or foster children who have fled (or been removed) from their families--children who have no one to speak for them, to stand next to them and help them see their potential and understand God intended for them to be much more than broken and discarded. 9. 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. 10. Hospice of the Valley by DonnaChristine P. We deliver care in the familiar surroundings of patients' homes or wherever they live. Members of the hospice team make house calls much like family doctors did years ago. We're the leading provider of hospice care in Arizona, and also offer a full spectrum of services, including pediatric care, dementia care, pulmonary care, and palliative care for those suffering chronic illness. We strive to meet the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of our patients, families and caregivers. 11. The Peace House DC by Denise Valdez (Our vision is to be a vehicle to transform individual lives, and communities, working for positive social change, and a world free from oppression. We foster radical learning and organizing excellence through our "DC Free School". We assist and/or facilitate various individual, community, and world betterment projects such as Teach-Ins, Training's and Direct Action tactics for social change. We feel this is an ideal means for creative expression to break the cycle of the philosophical, political and moral doctrine of the system that was designed to exploit for the benefit of the state. 12. Lollipop Kids Foundation by Patricia Lopez (Children with disabilities have the right to be given opportunities that allow them to live to their fullest potential. Too often, parents raising these children feel isolated socially and burdened financially, emotionally and physically. They are forced to make hard decisions and sacrifice substantially in areas that most could not imagine. We exists to combat social stigmas, ease the financial burden placed on these families, offer emotional support and provide a brief respite so that every child with a disability has access to a hope and a future. |
13. National Multiple Sclerosis Society by Elaine
We mobilize people and resources so that everyone affected by MS can live their best lives as we stop MS in its tracks, restore what has been lost and end MS forever. Our Strategic Plan is focused on: People have effective treatment choices and solutions to the challenges of living with MS, People affected by MS connect to the individuals, information and resources they need to move their lives forward, and Individuals and organizations are mobilized to generate resources that accelerate progress and maximize impact. 14. Taking it to the Street Ministries – Ministry To The Homeless by Amy B. Our mission is to be an oasis in the Spiritual desert of Bremerton, distributing physical blessings (food, clothing, etc. as well as Spiritual blessings) to the homeless & others in need. 15. Save A Dog, Inc. by Debbie C. Our mission is to rescue adoptable dogs from euthanasia, to provide temporary housing for such dogs, and to find qualified, permanent homes for them. We volunteer work tirelessly to match the dogs in the program to the right adoptive families. The goal is to find, loving, adoptive homes who are committed to providing a forever home for the dog. 16. Last Hope K9 Rescue by Debbie C. We are a non-profit all-breed rescue dedicated to saving abandoned, neglected, and abused dogs from high-kill shelters throughout the United States. We don’t discriminate on the basis of age, pre-existing medical conditions, or breed because every animal deserves to know love. We also seek to educate the communities in which we work. From spay and neuter programs, the importance of preventatives, and anti-breed legislation, we actively work to inform the public about these important topics. 17. NVC Foundation by Jamar F. We were established in 2005 to support the Nisei Veterans Committee (NVC). Our mission is to preserve and honor the Japanese American legacies and to provide community programs that meet the educational, cultural and social needs of the broader community. 18. Ebenezer Ministries-Stone of Help by Amy B. We provide Christian summer camps for the children in a mostly Hindu country. We work with the street children and homeless, the widows and the women trapped in the sex trade and do so with very little resources. 19. Kindness Grows Here by Kristen D-C We are a non-profit foundation that believes that we must foster kindness in the next generation of children in order to make the world a better place. Certainly, we will gladly support events, causes, and ideas that seek to spread kindness to adults. But, our focus is children because if we get it right with them, they will one day be the adults, and they will lead with kinder hearts and more compassionate souls, and our world will be better for it. 20. Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association (RSDSA) by Terry T. We were founded in 1984 to promote public and professional awareness of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD). Our mission is to provide support, education, and hope to everyone affected by the pain and disability of CRPS/RSD while we drive research to develop better treatments and a cure. 21. Immune Deficiency Foundation by Terry T. We are a national patient organization dedicated to improving the diagnosis, treatment and quality of life of persons with primary immunodeficiency diseases through advocacy, education and research. 22. Planned Parenthood by Celeste A. We deliver vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of women, men, and young people worldwide. We have promoted a commonsense approach to women’s health and well-being, based on respect for each individual’s right to make informed, independent decisions about health, sex, and family planning. 23. Tu Nidito by Celeste A. We are dedicated to our mission of creating a community of acceptance, support and understanding regarding children in grief. It is our vision that no child grieves alone. More than 20 years ago, we filled a need in our community by building a successful non-profit agency dedicated to supporting children impacted by serious medical conditions and death. 24. Best Friends Animal Society by Michael B. We a leading national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America's shelters through building community programs and partnerships all across the nation. Our mission is to bring about a time when there are No More Homeless Pets. We believe that by working together we can Save Them All. 25. Society of St. Vincent De Paul by Patsy M. We are a Christian voluntary organization, working with poor and disadvantaged people. We offer tangible assistance to those in need on a person-to-person basis. It is this personalized involvement that makes the work of the Society unique. This aid may take the form of intervention, consultation, or often through direct dollar or in-kind service. An essential precept of the Society's work is to provide help while conscientiously maintaining the confidentiality and dignity of those who are served. |