Twenty-six random acts of kindness performed as homage

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January 23, 2013

Haley Loeffler/Winonan

On Dec. 14 a man, 20, shot and killed his mother before grabbing three assault weapons and bursting through the doors of local Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newton, Connecticut.

In an event being dubbed a tragedy, 20 students and six staff members were killed alongside the shooting in Aurora, Colo. from 2012.

Two days afterwards, in the midst of sorrow, anger and confusion, Ann Curry started a movement via the social medium Twitter.

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Curry, a journalist and photojournalist, tweeted, “Imagine if all of us committed to 20 mitzvahs/acts of kindness to honor each child lost in Newtown. I’m in.”

This single challenge started a landslide of people all over the world performing random, anonymous acts of kindness. Not only are people striving to perform 20 of these acts, but also the general public has changed it to 26 acts, one for every person killed in the school that day.

In an article Curry wrote for NBC News, she explained where the idea came from. She wrote that an experience reporting on the genocide in Darfur in 2007 sprung into her mind when looking at the tragic aftermath in Newton.

She said that in Darfur, there wasn’t anything to clean up; there weren’t any obvious things to do that would help.

After an interview in a local hospital left her shaken, Curry recalled walking to the team van and taking out a Polaroid camera. With this camera, she went around to each child and took his or her picture. She then gave the photographs to the children’s parents, most of whom had never before owned a photograph of their children.

She said, “It made me feel better, and it brought even just a little happiness to the victims in Darfur.”

Those participating in the movement have echoed those thoughts.

In an article by Steve Annear, Lynne Brown of Boston said, “It changes your perspective. Not that you aren’t still angry about it, but your focus is on remembering those who were lost.”

“Personally, I let them know I do this in memory of the people lost that day,” Brown went on, “I hope this movement makes our country never forget. I hope it makes us pause and think and realize there are lots of issues we need to face.”

Curry shared her final thoughts, stating, “I know the truth: if you do good, you feel good. It’s the most selfish thing you can do. Right now, this country wants to heal. I think the only thing comforting in the face of a tragedy like this is to do something good with it if you can. Be a part of that wave.”

Here are 26 ideas to get started:

-Buy coffee for the person behind you in line

-Pay someone’s parking ticket

-Rake leaves for a neighbor

-Leave a gift card at a drive-through window

-Give a homeless person lunch

-Leave candy in the cable guy’s van

-Send flowers to a rehab facility

-Pay off a lay-away bill

-Buy hot chocolate for a veteran

-Pay an elderly couple’s bill

-Write your kindergarten teacher a thank you note