It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and Random Acts is celebrating in style! This holiday season, each staff member had $150 to put towards an #RAHolidayKindness act of their choice. Although we encourage spreading kindness all year long, the holiday season is an extra special time to focus on sharing our love, time, and resources with others. We had so much fun making holiday magic happen. It only makes sense to spread the cheer with a blog series telling you all about our staff holiday acts! Let’s see what the Random Acts elves have been up to…
Earlier this week, we told you about some of our staff who “adopted” families in order to bring some cheer this holiday season. Many organizations provide this option to connect community members so that everyone can have what they need, and hopefully also what they want. Here are three more stories of Random Acts staff members helping members of their communities.
Head of Partnerships Maria Christian reached out to a local school to get in contact with a family. The school recommended a family with two boys, ages eight and twelve. They both wanted Legos and needed shoes and a new shirt. Maria also got presents for each child based on their interests.the older boy received a tabletop basketball game and a Nerf gun. The younger, because of his love for dinosaurs, received a robotic dinosaur and a small dinosaur lego set. The mother told Maria that Random Acts had become Santa for them that year, making this a sweet and magical story of kindness.
Fellow Staff Writer Lisa Cerezo partnered with the organization Courage Connection, which provides support services and housing to families and individuals affected by domestic violence. While her “adopted” individual, a 24-year-old woman, only requested a VISA gift card, Lisa went above and beyond to make sure that this woman’s Christmas was not just about what she needed, but what she wanted. “Along with the gift card, I also purchased a small gift set of personal care items and some chocolates for her to enjoy. Not only did I want this woman’s needs met as she chose, but I also wanted her to feel pampered and to be allowed — encouraged — to indulge in some much-needed self care.” When Lisa dropped off her gift bag, she was able to speak with the Development Director at Courage Connection, and she looks forward to working with the organization in the future.
Finally, Regional Representative for US South West Lily Le adopted a family of four through Families Forward, an organization in Irvine, California, that helps families experiencing homelessness. Based on a wishlist provided by the organization, Lily purchased jackets for two boys, ages four and seven. She also purchased toys based on their interests – the older wanted pokemon cards while the younger wanted Mario Brothers. Lily collected the items and dropped them off at the Families Forward headquarters, and the volunteer coordinator said the kids would be excited to see their gifts.
Our Random Acts staff and supporters continue to spread kindness throughout the holidays, and we are so incredibly proud. Your continued generosity helps to make the world a better place every day.
