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Ssshh…

I’m playing with you!

Every so often, I get the urge to play around with the wonder that is social media. But it’s only lately that I’ve wondered, “does it really work?” And if so, how will I find out if it’s working or not?

So, I’m trying a little experiment.

For a little while now, I’ve posted a link on some of my social media channels, directing you to come to this very page. And not only that, I’m asking you to do a small task: watch this video.

My experiment only works if you WATCH THAT VIDEO!

It just takes a couple of minutes, and it’s about a nonprofit organization that’s near and dear to my heart. So not only will you be helping me with my little social media experiment (because your visit doesn’t count unless you watch the video), but you’ll also learn a little something about how to put more kindness into the world.

What you do with that information is up to you! But if you like what you saw, I hope you’ll leave a comment below and tell me about it.

Thank you for playing!

(And if you’re feeling extra generous, check out my E4K page!)

Only Random Acts Could Get Me To Try My First 5K!

It’s called Steps For Kindness, and it’s a “virtual” 5K — which means that you can participate wherever you are, whenever you like (within a set period of time). You can walk, run, wheel, skip, jump, or whatever! And best of all — if you’re me, anyway — you don’t even have to do it all at once. I’ll admit, I was worried that I couldn’t walk the whole thing in one outing, but I did.

I have to say, my participation with Random Acts over the past couple of years has inspired me to try things I never thought I would do. This, I think, is my biggest accomplishment to date.

Interested? There’s still time to sign up and do your own! Funds raised support Random Acts and Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles. Click here to sign up!

And check out Random Acts’ Storify on what’s happened so far. (See if you can find my tweets in there.) 🙂

Kindness in the World: Random Acts in Nicaragua

Well, I’ve been a bit remiss in achieving my goal of daily blogging lately! I’ve been detailing a lot of things about Random Acts and how their mission has affected me, in support of a fundraiser I’m running on CrowdRise. There are just a few days left to contribute, so I figured I could squeeze in a couple more posts on the subject.

Much of the content from my recent posts is an expansion on the Pecha Kucha talk I gave a few weeks ago, but today I wanted to do something different. The old adage about a picture being worth a thousand words holds true, particularly in this recent post from Misha Collins’ Facebook page. In it, he shares beautiful in-progress photos of the Free High School in San Juan del Sur. It’s a tangible, concrete example of what Random Acts supporters are achieving in the world. It’s just beautiful.

There are lots of ways you can contribute to Random Acts’ mission to conquer the world one random act of kindness at a time. If you’re looking for something quick and easy, I invite you to contribute to my CrowdRise campaign! It’s running for just a couple more days.

Thank you so much!

Kindness Running AMOK!

One of the coolest events Random Acts does each year is the Annual Melee of Kindness (AMOK). I’ve done it twice myself, and this year was even cooler than the last!

So I bet you’re wondering what a photo of Times Square is doing on my blog. No, sadly, I wasn’t in NYC to take that photo. But a number of Random Acts staffers and supporters–including musician Justin Guarini!–made a big splash in the Big Apple, gathering food and supplies for needy animals, and having a great time.

The fun continued a few months later during the Endure4Kindness event (E4K). This time, the Random Acts team offered video tours of the city via Periscope, in exchange for donations! Here’s mine (warning: it’s long…also, peacocks).

The great thing about Random Acts is that crazy and fun events like this happen all over the world–not just in major cities like NYC. You can get a glimpse of some of the random goings-on over at their Kindness Files!

And if you’d like to contribute to fund more random acts of kindness, you can do so on my CrowdRise fundraiser page! I’d be happy to consider it an early birthday gift. (How thoughtful of you!)

‘Til tomorrow!

The First Project: Hope 2 Haiti

Yesterday’s blog post was all about how Random Acts got its start. As part of my continuing series about this wonderful organization, I wanted to introduce you to their first project: Hope 2 Haiti.

When co-founder Misha Collins tweeted to his fans in early 2010, asking them to support relief efforts in Haiti through UNICEF, the response was overwhelming. So overwhelming, in fact, that it inspired Misha and some friends to create Random Acts. Inspired by a woman named Bonite Affriany, Random Acts and its supporters helped create the Jacmel Children’s Center. This center serves as an orphanage and school for children displaced by the devastating hurricanes. This was the first tangible evidence of Random Acts’ impact in the world, and the combined efforts of hundreds of people.

Random Acts’ current project is Dreams 2 Acts: Nicaragua. Construction is already well underway on a beautiful free high school in San Juan del Sur. The school will help bring educational opportunities back to those who have been excluded from school through a variety of circumstances. Along with large-scale projects like these, Random Acts continues to provide financial support for a wide variety of acts of kindness all over the world.

Because I believe in the power of kindness, and because Random Acts inspires me so much, I have chosen to “donate” my birthday to the cause on CrowdRise.com. I hope you’ll take a look at my fundraising page, and donate/share if you feel so moved. I like feeling like I can be a force for positive change in the world, and this is one of the ways I’ve chosen to do that. Please join me!