Northgate Care Center to begin local "Acts of Kindness" program

February 1, Northgate Care Center and ABCM Healthy Living Home Care of Waukon, owned and operated by ABCM Corporation of Hampton, will kick off its own Acts of Kindness program in an effort to promote good will and inspire/encourage acts of kindness to pass on throughout the community.
“There are many kind people all around us, but we live in a very busy world,” explained Barb Thies, Marketing Coordinator at Northgate Care Center and originator of the Acts of Kindness idea. “Our lives have become so fast-paced at times and we may not really be paying attention to what is going on around us. So often, one is thinking about what he or she may have to do next. So, the Acts of Kindness program is meant to help us slow down just a bit and become aware of those around us, to notice if someone could use a helping hand or a little attention. One shouldn’t underestimate the impact of a single act of kindness. We want to inspire people to become truly conscientious about kindness.”
The Acts of Kindness program is designed to work like this: Friday, February 1, NGCC/ HLHC Acts of Kindness buttons will be distributed randomly throughout the local community. Anyone receiving a button is encouraged to perform an act of kindness for someone and then pass the button on to another person. When the act of kindness has been carried out, Thies would like the individual performing the kind act to e-mail her at bthies@abcmcorp.com or call her at Northgate Care Center at 563-568-3493 to let her know what the act of kindness was and whom the button was passed on to. The buttons will only be in circulation until February 14.
The reporting of the acts of kindness is not meant to be a scorecard by any means, but simply a way to further promote the ideal behind the program of becoming more aware of the positive impact a simple act of kindness can instill and grow within a community. Names will simply be used in recordkeeping and not reported or publicized, if so desired.
The act of kindness does not have to be costly; it can be large or small, easy or challenging. It can be as simple as slowing down and holding the door for someone, letting someone who appears to be pressed for time go ahead at the check-out line, or maybe helping someone unload their groceries from their cart to their car or returning the shopping cart for them. Other ideas might include donating books to the library, donating a care package to the Relief Office, or visiting someone who lives alone and can’t get out of their home often. An act of kindness might be as simple as picking up litter on the street, being generous with a compliment, helping a co-worker, or shoveling the neighbor’s steps. There are no set standards or guidelines to what constitutes an act of kindness.
“There is definitely a feel-good element to this, and it is truly a win/win/win situation,” said Lou Ann Wikan, Administrator of Northgate Care Center. “The person you are being kind to benefits through your help. You feel good for having helped someone or made someone feel better, and the world is a better place through your kindness.”
The staff at Northgate Care Center and ABCM Healthy Living Home Care says community members don’t have to wait for a button to perform an act of kindness, just in case one of the buttons may not happen to circulate around to them. Those who want to participate without having received a button are also invited to go ahead and perform an act of kindness and report it to Thies at the above e-mail address or phone number.
The goal of this initial program is to receive mention of 150 acts of kindness during the nearly two-week time period described above, which averages out to about ten a day; but more would certainly be welcome. The results/success of this initial program will be published in an upcoming issue of The Standard, with the reported acts of kindness published anonymously, if so desired.