One Million Acts of Kindness

(Sumaiya Malik, Good News Gazette) One million acts of kindness in a lifetime. That’s Bob Votruba’s mission, his own personal kindness movement that he is taking out into the world. He wants to encourage others to commit one million acts of kindness in their lifetimes and has gone on the road to promote his powerful message.

In late August Votruba, a 54-year-old Cleveland native, and his Boston terrier Bogart kicked off an odyssey to spread the word of kindness throughout the U.S aboard a converted school bus that is their home on the road. All because Bob firmly believes in the transformative power of kindness – the thoughtful, considerate, compassionate things we do for one another, big and small, that express our humanity – to make the world a better place.

Bob’s journey to "be the change" began with a sticker program he created over 6 years ago called Sow Only Seeds of Love, which was created in response to the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in the U.S. "I wanted to have a sticker to state what I believed in. I was just going to put it on my SUV," said Votruba during a phone interview. "Sow Only Seeds Of Love - I thought that was a great thing to say that covered everything." The message on the sticker was "let this sticker forever remind you to spread love and kindness to others as often as you can."

As he began to notice the sticker during his travels, he realized that it was mostly high school and college students that had this sticker on their cars. They, in particular, seemed to resonate with its message. What started as a small grassroots program that had Votruba talking to 5-10 people each week ultimately went global with stickers in six languages and on every continent except Antarctica.

When the shootings at Virginia Tech occurred, Votruba went down to Blacksburg in the days that followed. "I don't know what called me there or why I went there, but I just stood off to the side and passed out stickers," he says. The powerful human emotion from that experience stuck with him, as well as those he met there, as he received emails and letters after he returned home. "Maybe we all need this message," he thought. He decided he wanted to do something specifically for kids, he wanted to create a positive goal for them.

Votruba gets choked up as he talks about why, in particular, he focuses his message on kids and college students. "I love kids too much not to do this. I love my children more than anything, and I just want to see for all these kids the best that life can offer them," he says. And thus One Million Acts of Kindness was born in the mind of a man who is passionate in his belief about the difference we can each make in the world around us.

The Kindness Generation

So what does it take to perform one million acts of kindness? It breaks down to fifty acts of kindness, every day, for 55 years. For Votruba it’s really about becoming the embodiment of kindness – being thoughtful, offering words of encouragement, lending a hand, sharing a smile, having a wish in your heart for others, not necessarily something that requires grand, sweeping gestures. According to Votruba, "This message is for everyone. I think this is what we're all here for. It boils down to one thing - how many lives can you touch in a good way?"

He is focusing his message on young people, targeting high schools and colleges on his bus tour, as they truly have the potential to accomplish one million acts of kindness in their lifetimes. He hopes to inspire The Kindness Generation, to encourage the people he meets to become living examples of the change that can be enabled through simple acts of humanity.

In the almost two months since Bob and Bogart kicked-off their tour, they have visited 15 or so colleges, interacted with thousands of people, volunteered in local communities, donated blood, and even being the recipient of a few acts of kindness himself – from kind words to free bus repairs, to lunch and dinner invitations, and even overnight accommodations in the homes of strangers.

While visiting towns and campuses, he talks to locals and students about the importance of kindness, encouraging them to take his message and make it their own by carrying it around their communities after he leaves. "There's such a thirst for this," he says. "There is such a need for this as well, that's why the thirst. The time is now. I tell these kids ' let this little conversation we've had, let it be the starting line of the rest of your lives, where you can go be the person you really want to be.' "

Based on the feedback he’s received thus far, his message is clearly resonating. Students at Ashland University are starting a Kindness Club. Three universities have invited Bob to come back and give a more formal talk to students. Project Love, a Cleveland-based character-building education and training organization, has invited Votruba to come speak to Junior High and High School students. And individuals have begun reporting back to Bob about how they are incorporating his message into their daily lives.

A couple of parole officers Votruba has met have begun incorporating his message of kindness into their work, requesting that parolees document and report back on their own acts of kindness. Votruba talks about a professor from Akron who told him " ’Bob, we sit down at the dinner table now and talk about stuff like this. We never did ‘til we met you.' How cool is that," asks Votruba. "Here's a family maybe brought closer together because of this." One woman even changed her will to name One Million Acts of Kindness as one of her beneficiaries. "I just believe in this so much," she told Votruba.

The Journey of a Lifetime

When Votruba began, he originally planned a 10-year journey. Now that he’s been on the road for almost two months, he doesn’t see himself stopping. "How can you quit something like this? It’s so rewarding." He says "I gave all my possessions away, sold some things. I’ve basically made it impossible to go home. My home is the bus."

The potential impact of his efforts energizes him. "Think about if one kid signs on to perform one million acts of kindness in his lifetime, and then think about if 10,000 do it, or more. That's what I'm after," he says. "What greater goal can you have in your life?"

Bob and Bogart will continue on the first leg of their tour winding through portions of the Midwest, heading down to Florida and wrapping up in Maine around June of next year. Their exact schedule remains fluid as Bob is open to invitations he receives along the way to speak about and spread the word of his Kindness Project.

You can find out more about the adventures of Bob and Bogart on their One Million Acts of Kindness website.