allison wyatt

Let me start by saying this is a hard post to write because I really don’t want to come across sounding like I’m tooting my own horn. That was not my intention in blogging about my random acts of kindness at all… I was hoping to inspire others to do the same as well as get some press for some of the good causes I donated to. I actually found that the hardest acts for me to complete were when I came face to face with the person I was doing it for. There’s something really fun about leaving something for a stranger and then wondering about it.

I think that moving forward I’m going to try to do something like this more often, maybe even when I’m having a bad day. This whole exercise taught me just how easy it is to do something kind for someone else and made me more aware of the kind things people were doing for me, even if it was just holding the door open when my hands were full. It was also really neat to see how my acts of kindness impacted the people who helped – from the friend who gave me the clothes for the convalescent home to the barista who was touched by my note to the person behind me at Starbucks. I was tickled pink to have a friend tell me the other day that she and her husband were inspired to do their own twenty-six random acts – they’re spreading it out over the year. It just goes to show how something good almost has a ripple effect. I know there’s no way to erase the horror of Sandy Hook, but I hope in some small way that I made a difference in these twenty-six different acts.

Over the course of just under one month, these are the twenty-six random acts of kindness that I completed:

Charlotte Bacon – taped a dollar bill to a vending machine
Daniel Barden – left a Starbucks gift card in conference room
Rachel Davino – bought stamps left for a stranger at the post office
Olivia Engel – bought Starbucks for the person behind me at the drive through
Josephine Gay – donated food and toys to the animal shelter
Ana Marquez-Greene – left two movie passes for the next people to buy tickets
Dylan Hockley – donated food to the local food bank
Dawn Hochsprung – left a Cheesecake Factory gift card for the janitor at work
Madeleine Hsu – left a Trader Joe’s gift card on a desk at work
Catherine Hubbard – left a gift card for a free lunch in the cafe in a random place at work
Chase Kowalski – bought In-N-Out for the person behind me at the drive through
Jesse Lewis – donated three meals to Drive to End Hunger
James Mattioli – donated to the Alzheimer’s Foundation
Grace McDonnell – left a Spa Finder gift card in a mailbox
Anne Marie Murphy – bought a stranger a dozen donuts
Emilie Parker – left lottery tickets in a mailbox
Jack Pinto – left a gift certificate for the next person at the garden center
Noah Pozner – left quarters in the sticker machine at Safeway
Caroline Previdi – bought a large pizza for the next person at the pizza place
Jessica Rekos – paid for McDonalds for the next person in the drive through
Avielle Richman – donated clothes to convalescent home
Lauren Rousseau – gave a fern to the next person in line at Safeway
Mary Sherlach – bought frozen yogurt for the next person
Victoria Soto – left money for a gallon of gas at the pump
Benjamin Wheeler – donated clothes to Goodwill
Allison Wyatt – donated $26 to the Grace Foundation

Random act #26 is one that is very near and dear to my heart and combines both my love for horses and my wish to do some little bit of good in the world. Many of the children killed at Sandy Hook had a love for animals, so I think this one is really a great deed. I hold a special place in my heart for animals who, like children, cannot defend themselves. It breaks my heart to see the terrible things people do to animals. My own Shadow was neglected, as was my sister’s Lilah and both have shown nothing but love for us and our families.

The Grace Foundation is an animal rescue and rehabilitation ranch here in Northern California that provides care to abused and neglected horses. I had the pleasure of doing some volunteer work there a couple of years ago and fell in love with the animals and the Foundation’s charter. They take abused, neglected animals and rehabilitate them. They then use those horses as rehabilitation animals for disabled and at risk youth. It creates a sort of perfect circle – the animals helping the children and the children helping the animals in return:

Since its founding in 2004, The Grace Foundation has been dedicated to saving the lives of horses and other animals. Grace provides critical care and rehabilitation for abused and neglected horses, livestock, dogs, and other animals.

Many of these animals are then utilized for equine-assisted learning and therapeutic programs for youth and children. Since its inception, The Grace Foundation has helped thousands of kids who are at-risk or have suffered from abuse and neglect themselves.

Grace also offers programs for people of all ages that are struggling with autism and other physical and emotional challenges, as well as a variety of youth leadership programs and life science classes.

Sadly, the Grace Foundation had to close its doors to the public this last October due to an ongoing battle with the banks over funding. They are working to reopen their doors on February 1st but need the help of the public. I donated $26 to the Grace Foundation in honor of the Sandy Hook victims to try in some small way to help these animals. Click here to make a donation of your own – any amount helps and it all adds up!

Please share this with your friends, family, and coworkers. This is one of those truly selfless causes and your money goes directly to the care of the horses and upkeep of the ranch.

And just like that, my 26 random acts of kindness are done. I’ll post a recap in the next couple of days with some reflections along with what I’m doing going forward. Stay tuned!

Down The Road I Go

Thoughts from my little corner of the world.

26 Random Acts of Kindness Revisited

Random Act #26: Allison Wyatt