I hope you enjoy this week’s selections from our Random Act of Kindness entries! Whether they were property residents or those in need in the community, this week’s teams definitely gave from the heart.
MacArthur Park. Team Members: Jill Porter, Chris Lazarus, Dave Reynolds. MacArthur Park chose the property’s residents as the beneficiaries of their random act of kindness. They handed out ice cream and balloons and also raffled off two $25 gift cards. The children loved the sweet treat and balloons. Their parents were ecstatic at the opportunity to win a gift card and were very grateful to management. Even weeks later, residents and their children are stopping by the office to say thank you for the staff’s random act of kindness. What a great way to build a positive relationship with our residents!
Mountain View Apartments. Team Members: Paula Green and Tony Kerns. Mountain View Apartments knew they wanted their random act of kindness to benefit the school-aged children that live at the property. They obtained the area school’s supply list and purchased the requested supplies. The parents of the children at Mountain View felt relieved and incredibly grateful when their kids received these supplies, as it lightened the load on what can become a very expensive task, purchasing the necessary school supplies that their children are required to have for the year.
Niagara Towers. Team members: Cindy Russinko, Wendy Brosius, Robert Shaughnessy, and Jim Lew. Casey House, a 12 bed short-term emergency shelter for youth, is located only two blocks from the property. The facility is run mostly on donations, so when this team heard of the dire need for bath towels and personal hygiene products, they immediately knew for whom they wanted to perform their random act of kindness. The staff of Niagara Towers agreed that a child’s teenage years can be difficult, even when they come from loving and stable homes. Adding in issues such as drug addiction, abuse, and homelessness can seriously complicate this time of life. With that in mind, the team decided they would create 12 “blessing bags”, one for each child. The blessing bag consisted of basic personal hygiene products like lotion, nail clippers, and toothbrushes. The staff was unable to hand deliver the bags to the residents but the office staff was extremely grateful and appreciative of the donations. They provided a tour of the facility and explained that these necessities will be incredibly helpful, as many children arrive with nothing other than the clothes they have on. Casey House is providing much more than a “safe place” for these children to live and every little bit received is a blessing indeed.
Park Place Apartments. Team Members: Teresa Barron and Alec Chastaine. This team chose to donate much-needed items to a local home and outreach center for women and children in crisis, Potters Clay Ministries. This organization operates entirely on support from area churches, other organizations, and individuals. They provide clothing, food, and shelter along with other services to those in their care. Park Place Apartments staff chose to donate necessities such as paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent, trash bags, and canned goods to the women and children residing at the crisis center. When Teresa and Alec arrived to deliver the donations, two children that live at the facility came out to help them. The boys were ecstatic to have even basic items like toilet paper given to them. Some of us may not consider toilet paper an amazing gift, but to hear the excitement in the children’s voices made our staff tear up. Though the property was completing their random act of kindness project, they felt like they were the ones being blessed through being given the opportunity to have this experience.
