1,000 Acts of Random Kindness kick off
A look into the kick off of the 1,000 Acts of Random Kindness campaign that started in Elk River on Monday, Feb. 1.
by Jim Boyle
Editor
Teenagers painted fingernails at Guardian Angels by the Lake.
An Elk River train commuter stood on his way to work so someone older than he could sit on the trip to Minneapolis.
And a woman moving back to Colorado is making arrangments to part with her abundance of things to furnish a home for a woman trying to make a fresh start. {snippet instory}
These are just of few of the things going on in Elk River after the 1,000 Acts of Random Kindness campaign kicked off Monday in downtown Elk River.
Above: Love Elk River’s Acts of Random Kindness thermometer was unveiled at a downtown park on Monday.
The hope is that 1,000 acts will be recorded by month’s end. “I know we will do it,” said Elk River Mayor Stephanie Klinzing, who was the brainchild of the campaign.
She credits being moved by actions of the Elk River community in the aftermath of the Lions Park Apartments fire. She’s also been inspired by other events along the way, including the story of a Philadelphia diner that had a run of people picking up the next person’s tab one day. That story is positioned prominently on Love Elk River’s Web site, one of two locations logging local acts of random kindness. The other is the Star News at www.erstarnews.com.
Love Elk River, which was founded in 2000 as a prayer-centered discipleship ministry is promoting the campaign.
Love Elk River aims to help individuals and families with spiritual and physical needs by offering them a relationship-based network of support. Over the years, the ministry has helped hundreds of people by applying the Luke 10 model of ministry. The 1,000 Acts of Random Kindness dovetails nicely with Love Elk River’s mission, Klinzing says.
Klinzing addressed a small gathering Monday at River’s Edge Commons Park to kick off the campaign. The event, which was a cold and snowy affair, included the unveiling of a giant thermometer that will be used to track progress of the goal to reach 1,000.
Students at Spectrum High School, who are used to taking up service projects as part of the school’s curriculum, have been inspired by Klinzing after she came and spoke to them.
Students from the school have volunteered at Guardian Angels facilities to paint nails and play games with the residents, distributed flyers and have taken up a collection. Each student has been asked to give at least $1 for an idea to help a family or families struggling to pay their bills. One student decided to contribute $50 this week. The plan is to bring the money to Elk River Municipal Utilities at the end of the month with the idea that families in great need could be helped.
Countless other random acts have begun to surface. Some will take a little more thought and planning, like Lane Robinson’s decision to pare her desire to pursue a simpler life back in Colorado and another woman’s need for a fresh start.
“Things have changed for me and it’s time to move,” she said.
Her eventual move aligns neatly with another woman’s efforts to get back on her feet after hitting rock bottom.
“The resources I’m not using could be huge for another person,” Robinson said. “They could change another person’s whole life.”
A process has begun to find a low-cost place for this woman to live. Robinson plans to offer her belongings as a way for this person, who doesn’t have furniture let alone plates to eat from, to get started.
“2010 is going to be about collaboration,” Robinson said. “People are looking at what they have and what things or talents they can share.
“I just love what they’re doing in Elk River.”
To help keep track of people’s actions, postcards have been printed and are available around town. The campaign has assigned a phone line to record stories of kindness. That number is 763-412-4616.
The cards can be delivered to the Star News, City Hall, local businesses and area churches. They can also be e-mailed to the Star News via a button on the right-hand side of the newspaper’s home page at www.erstarnews.com.
