Honoring Sandy Hook, One Act of Kindness at a Time

It’s hard to believe that exactly one month has passed since the horrific massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. The feelings of pain, shock and helplessness we all share are still just as raw for many as they were on that Friday last month.

In the days that followed the shooting, we were inspired by the tremendous outpouring of support from groups and individuals from across the country. One, in particular, has stayed with us – the 26 Acts campaign. The 26 Acts idea was sparked when reporter Ann Curry used Twitter to suggest that everyone perform 26 separate acts of kindness – one to honor every life lost at Sandy Hook Elementary. What an incredible way to turn helplessness and despair into empowerment and hope.

As we all know, our collective attention span can be pretty fickle but we don’t want to see this momentum for doing good fade. So today, we are proud to officially announce that on the 14th of every month VolunteerSquare will recognize individuals and groups in our communities who are giving back in some way and making a positive impact. We believe that honoring those who embody kindness and the volunteer spirit is a small, but meaningful, gesture of reverence for those who lost their lives in Newtown.

There are plenty of ways you can get involved in giving back to your community. Keeping with the 26 Acts idea, spend 26 hours over the next month volunteering at Darien-based Aging in Place helping a senior run some errands or get to their medical appointments. Get your friends together and make 26 different home-cooked meals for the teen group home at Domus in Stamford. Or forward this blog to 26 friends and come up with your own project. Consider it our challenge to you to keep the goodwill going.

No matter how you choose to honor the victims in Newtown, we applaud you and thank you. If you see someone in your community giving back, be sure to let us know by sending us an email or sharing it with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Meantime, if you’re looking for some help getting started with a volunteer project, sign up for free e-alerts at VolunteerSquare.com. Just plug in your name and email and let us know what volunteer work interests you and you will start receiving our real-time alerts that will notify you of a volunteer opportunity in your community.