Random Acts of Kindness

A while back a friend of mine and I were spending a lazy Sunday afternoon at a shopping mall. We were talking with two sales clerks. One mentioned that in a few hours, when it was break time, she wanted a nice hot tea. The other mentioned that he wanted coffee.

We left the store, walked over to the food court, and bought the tea and coffee. We then went back to the department store and gave the clerks their drinks. They were both quite surprised and pleased. We refused when they offered to pay us. When they asked us why we told them that we enjoyed doing random acts of kindness.

My friend and I like performing random acts of kindness. The act doesn't have to be big or expensive. Small acts go a long way!

Randon1 is a show that performs random acts of kindness. The show is broadcast on the Arts and Entertainment (A&E) network.

In the first episode I saw, they helped an unemployed gentleman named Steve get a job as a cook. They succeeded!

I appreciated this episode. I was recently unemployed for 3 years. I empathized with Steve and would have been very happy to have Random1 help me.

Random1 is about helping people. In their own words (organization.random1.com/),

"In 1996 two friends - one black, one white, and polar opposites beneath the surface as well - embarked on a journey in an old rusted pick-up. Their mission was to meet strangers at random and try to make a difference in their lives. Most of what they did for people worked. Though sometimes, things would go horribly wrong. Regardless, the experiences brought forth in the friends a strong sense of purpose, not to mention the addictive thrill of encountering the unknown."

The show tells its story in an interesting way. You learn about the person being helped; there are interesting shots of the staff in the Random1 van (they do the research and make the phone calls to schedule job interviews or get the necessary information depending on the type of help the person needs). The episode I saw ended with an update concerning Steve. I was happy to hear that he is doing well.

The Random1 Web site, www.random1.com, is a great addition to the show. The site uses a variety of multimedia features that allow the viewer to learn more about the show, about the Random1 organization, and to share your opinions about the show with other fans and staff.

The key to Random1 (both the show and the Web site) is that it is about real people. For example, the January 8th, 2006, the Web site presented 2 slide shows of upcoming issues. The first presentation is about Kim who is dealing with the aftermath of the break up of her twenty-five year marriage. The second presentation is about Mike, a severely overweight man who is dealing with family issues and is planning to live in a homeless shelter.

The site also offers a variety of podcasts. Each podcast provides a "behind-the-scenes" point-of-view. I particularly enjoyed "9/26/05 – Transmission 2" which shared the crew's thoughts about becoming a television show.

The Random1 concept began before the television show. In their own words,

"In 1999, they began documenting their experiences on film. During the spring of 2001, three volunteer producers joined their mission and worked from a dusty basement office to facilitate solutions for the random encounters. During the fall of 2004 an RV manufacturer, Dynamax Corporation, loaned the 3-person support team a high tech RV to call home. And so was born Random 1, an undercover philanthropic organization.

The story about the two men, their pick-up and the grassroots movement began to spread. In April of 2005, the organization teamed up with A&E Networks. The network has decided to allow the true story experiences to begin airing as a documentary series on November 1, 2005." (organization.random1.com/)

Random1 is about grassroots philanthropy. What is grassroots philanthropy? Read the Random1 definition at organization.random1.com/mission.html.

The nice thing about Random1 is that the organization and show act as a model for people to create in their own communities. Create a local Random1 group in your community and help those in need. Create the organization in conjunction with a church, synagogue, mosque, or other house of God. Publish pictures and commentary in the place of worship's newsletter or Web site. Create a Web site and get other's involved. Be your own Random1.

Check A&E's listing to see when Random1 is being broadcast in your area. It is a show worth watching!

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