HelpOthers.org -- kindness is contagious.
How did the SmileCard project start?
One college student was talking to another slightly older
twenty-something guy about pranks that students do for rival football
teams. The older guy says, "Isn't it interesting that students are
motivated to do such incredible acts without getting any credit?" Such
acts are fun, collective, creative, and incredibly challenging. But
typically, they're not all that constructive nor do they leave anyone
with a lasting "wow" feeling either. So the question followed -- why
not do the same with kind acts? More friends joined in the
conversation. Right then, we thought up a game of doing anonymous acts
of kindness and leaving behind a "smile card"
to keep the ripple going. Over the next three months, we tested out the
concept. And then, we setup this anonymous website and got started.
What resources did you start with?
Not
too many. One of our friends designed the card, another wrote up the
content on the card, and another gathered 15 bucks to go to a local
Kinkos. The guy at Kinko's, well, he found out about this and did it
for free. That was September 2003 and our first box of 100 cards. We
never anticipated that this concept would extend all over the world!
Is there a business plan behind any of this?
Nope.
Everything here is (and always will be) a labor of love. We run this
commerical-free portal with dedicated volunteers, we send weekly
kindness newsletters
without any agendas, we ship smile cards all over the world for free,
we allow people to download, print and republish everything without any
restrictions. Some people order free cards to do kind acts, some share
creative ideas of compassion, some contribute stories of inspiration,
some sponosor cards for others, and kindness keeps spreading.
What is the future of the project?
We just launched a new site -- our third revamp of the year -- to keep
up with the increasing demand. More recently, we launched Smile Groups
based on the requests we heard from smile-carders around the globe.
Quite honestly, we don't really know the future; our attempt is keep
doing "small acts with great love" in the present.
Is this a religious effort?
Not really. All the
anonymous folks behind the scenes have their own reasons for practicing
compassion; for some it might be their religious beliefs, for some it
might be their spiritual cultivation, for some it might just be common
sense.
How can I help?
Do something kind in your community. Join Smile Groups and make it a weekly habit. Comment on the many stories to encourage the carriers of kindness. And if you're still pumped-up to give more, drop us a note.
Kindness is contagious! Keep it going.
Jump over to the site and read some kindness stories....
........ like this one....................
--posted by singlestep on Jun 9, 2008
Here's
an idea that brings lots of smiles-- go to your neighborhood crafts
store (I went to Michael's), pick up some polished colored stones,
hand-draw some smiles, and leave those smile-stones with the following
poem at coffee shop tables or just about any public venue.
Look a Smile Stone straight in the eye and you'll smile back not knowing why
It's something about their lopsided grins, their lack of noses and of chins
A twinkling something that's not-quite-art touches your heart
Like snowflakes and fingerprints no two are the same
But why? You ask- What's the point of this game?
Somebody's hand drew those smiles for you
To find and to keep and to give away too
For when the smile fades from the stone
Then you'll find it within
And this is where you get to begin
To share that smile where there's a lack
All you'll need is a pen
(Permanent. Black)
To draw a new smile in place of the old
And send it off on its way
to places untold
Smilestone milestones
Marking the way
We each can reach out
to
Make Someone's Day.
