Kate Myers, Creative Director at Corporate Visions, thought the $100 Challenge was such a great idea that she decided to get her entire family involved. She talked with her 6 year old daughter about ideas for what they could do and finally decided to carry out their idea at a local farmers’ market.
One Friday afternoon, she, her daughter and 4 year old son, assembled envelopes with a $5 bill, a lollipop and a note that said:
“I hope you like your treats. I was just trying to do something nice for a stranger. If you liked this, please try to think of something you could do nice for a stranger someday to make their day!”
Later that evening, Kate’s husband, the kids and she went for their weekly shopping. While there, the kids handed out the envelopes to random people, mostly chosen by their son. Whereas, their daughter was a little nervous to approach a stranger, but their son was happy to walk up, say, “Excuse me”, to get their attention, and hand them the envelope. As he did, Kate let them know that they were taking some time to pay it forward and do a “random act of kindness”.
They were met with a variety of reactions, mostly disbelief and then gratitude. They received happy hugs from many of the receivers and had an offer to do a free family portrait from someone who happened to be a professional photographer. They were even approached by someone else to give them the very same envelope because someone had passed it on to him and he was continuing to pay it forward. They sent the man on his way to share the kindness with someone new.
It was definitely a unique and rewarding experience for all.
[By Kate Myers]