INDEPENDENT NEWS

Random Acts of Kindness Day

Published: Mon 23 Aug 2010 01:35 PM
Random Acts of Kindness Day
Wednesday September 1
This year marks the 6th anniversary of RAK Day and New Zealand is the only country in the world to have a Random Acts of Kindness Day!
RAK Day is all about people doing kind things for others – for no reason at all. To lift the kindness temperature in our country, step out of our comfort zone and do something randomly kind for a stranger or friend.
Over the last five years people have been RAK’d with strangers buying them coffee, paying for their parking, neighbours arriving with gift hampers, pizza being delivered to the local fire station for lunch and even huge giveaways like flights and cruises.
Again this year the whole city of Napier is getting on board and 100 business RAK shoppers, goodies are given away, and it’s treats galore.
Westfield Malls throughout the country are planning a whole load of RAK Day events and it will certainly be worth popping in to see what great RAKs are happening.
While the concept isn’t new, the dream to make this a national day came about after four friends: Josh de Jong, Marshall Gray, Megan Singleton and Reubyn Gwyn, got together in mid 2004 and thought it would be great if Kiwi's had a day where we all did something kind for others – without any retail pressure!
Thus began our national RAK Day and this September 1st we would love your support to encourage New Zealanders to get involved.
Here are some RAK ideas:
• Give an extra $3 to the coffee guy to buy the next person a coffee
• Pay the bus fare of the person standing behind you
• Take muffins to the office for morning tea
• Mow the neighbour’s lawn
• Pick someone a flower
• Wash your partner’s car
• Put toothpaste on your partner’s brush
• Send a pizza to the local fire station, school staff room, boyfriend’s work
• Put the neighbour’s wheelie bin out
• Phone your mum
• Get your kids to donate their pre-loved toys to charity
• Drop clothes in to the Sallies
• Offer to walk the neighbour’s dog
• Treat a friend to join you in a round of golf
• Run round the streets offering free hugs – ok that might get you into trouble!
You get the idea – the possibilities to RAK New Zealand are endless!
Businesses, schools, community groups, churches and individuals around New Zealand are currently planning what they might do on RAK Day 2010.
Our hope is for all New Zealanders to get onboard and make our nation a kind place – even just for one day.
Your support to spread the word about Random Acts of Kindness Day would be hugely appreciated!
ends

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