It’s All About Giving Back This Season: Our #KindnessMountain of HOPE
There have been times in many of our lives where we have endured a struggle or two. In the moment, it feels like the whole world is crashing down on you, the walls are caving in and you may feel like you will never dig yourself out.
I’ve been there, we’ve all been there.
I have received, when I couldn’t give, and I have placed my open hands out waiting for someone to hold them.
Maybe my struggles were different from yours and yours from mine, but at the end of the day I believe these struggles are there to only make us stronger when we can finally see the lights reflection.
Whether it be a friend or a complete stranger during these difficult times in your life, there is an angel waiting to “hold your hand“. There is a silver lining to your story and a piece of HOPE to hold on too.
HOPE- The feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.
Bringing Magic On Christmas Morning
Today, our family has been blessed with the opportunity to be the stranger waiting to “hold your hand” when you need it most. This year, marks our second Kindness Mountain for families in Kawartha Lakes.
With inspiration from Jody from MommyMoments.ca I was inspired to use my blog and start a Kindness Mountain for charities and families in Kawartha Lakes. By pulling from within and asking my communities to give me a hand, we are excited to share with you, this year’s Kindness Mountain!
A huge thank you goes out to the following PR companies and Brands who not only answered my reply with a yes, but went above and beyond with their donations to our already growing Kindness Mountain:
Leah from Maplelea | Carli from Charming Media | Jordan from High View Communications | Hannah from Seer Interactive | Michelle from Brill Communications | Jamie from Paradigm PR | Laura from Swerve Pr | Christina from Zak Communications
Thank you goes out to the following brands for going above and beyond this time of year:
Maplelea Dolls | Eos | Xyla | CND Vinylux | Revlon Canada | America Crew | Staples for the Crayola donations | Cloud B | Escents | Vtech Canada | Lalaloopsy | Scrub Daddy | Dr. Teal’s | Lypsyl | Playtex | Schick Hydro | Schick Intuition | O.B |
You all offered up some great additions to our Kindness Mountain this season. Because of all of you on Christmas morning a child will wake up and believe in the magic of the season and parents will rest their head with HOPE!
Feeling It In Your Soul
This morning was drop off day, we divided the Kindness Mountain into 4 drop off points throughout Kawartha Lakes. On the way to take the kids to school one said to me “We should keep doing this every year and make people happy.” I am pretty sure we will continue to do what we can as a family, to keep on giving back.
Not only does it feel right to do this and continue to find ways to help, it also feeds our souls and that my friends, is a feeling I cannot explain.
Here are a few of my favorite Quotes on Kindness:
“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” ~ Scott Adams
“Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.” ~ Anthony Robbins
“If you wait until you can do everything for everybody, instead of something for somebody, you’ll end up not doing nothing for nobody.” ~ Malcom Bane
How are you sharing kindness in your community this season?
Thank you for reading In R Dream!
The children in our family (daughter, niece and nephew) have all had the need for children’s hospitals sadly, due to various complications and diseases. Every year we donate a Christmas meal as well as a couple of stockings for kids/families that unfortunately have to spend Christmas in the hospital. It feels great to give!
Thank you for sharing your story with us.It’s very touching and
I think you would have made a lot of little ones feel really special.
I like to donate to the food banks.
Truly A Holiday story to remember for sure.
I too have been on both sides of help like this. Years ago, we went through a strike at my workplace…right before Christmas because I had a position in the mailroom, the union put me on strategic strike for two weeks while everyone else was at work. Because of that I only got the 40% strike pay for those two weeks. My husband was on EI at the time and money was tight. My coworkers being the great people they are, adopted my family that year and showed up with a food hamper and gifts for us all. I still get teary eyed when I think about how much that meant to me. And I laugh when I remember that I walked past the sign on the floor that adopted us that had info about the family they adopted and suggestions for gifts not realizing it was for us….
My family donates many items we no longer need to people we know personally who can use it, from my friend who is a single mom who gets many hand me down books and clothes from son to sharing items when people reach out in need in our community. I love to give back in any way I can and help out people who need it. I know what it meant to me when we needed it.
I would SO love to be able to do something like a Kindness Mountain through my blog, I just to find more time to dedicate to building my blog and learn more to be able to get more involvement with brands and companies to facilitate that. With time hopefully I can start to do things like this too!
Tara thank you for sharing your story with us all! You gave me goosebumps and I teared up with happiness that you had people in your life who seen you needed a hand. This year can be the year to make your goal come true. Keeping your own kindness Mountain in the back of your mind you can get brands and companies on side throughout the year. I always keep a pile of review items that we personally add to our Kindness Mountain. This is a highlight of my year and I am so happy to inspire you to start your own! Keep me posted!
That is incredible. So lovely to share,
Thanks! It warms my heart!
always give toys each year.
So many little ones woke with such Joy because of your generosity!
So wonderful! I can just imagine the delight of the recipients, made their holidays so special! We sponsor a family through my husbands work, it feels good knowing the children and family were able to have a good Christmas!
It’s always been my goal to sponsor a family. What a great gift to you all. It is all about the Children and yes what a delight they must have felt on Christmas morning! Melts my heart thinking about it!
it’s always great to see a pile of donated, good quality, toys.
Thank you 🙂
We live surrounded by amazing people and it is great to see and help those in need!
It sure is! Thanks Fan!
I have been on both ends of this. Years ago a huge change in life circumstances led us to reach for a helping hand like this; we had an organization sponsor us & give toys to our children because I wasn’t able to. It is difficult to accept the help on that end but with such heartwarming people in this world it changes your perception. Now I am proud to be one of the people who are on the other end again, able to give & create that happiness in others.
Your story Krista gave me tears. Thank you for sharing it.
I’ve been on both ends as well. That Christmas, that year, still carries in my heart. Creating happiness is others is a blessing and I am so happy to hear your story.
Way to go it is always wonderful to start something & see it grow
I donate to several charities & ask that my kids & grand kids give me that as a gift as wll
What a great thing you are doing teaching all the children in your life to gift! Those are the lessons, that will change the world!
I really enjoyed reading this and all of the good that people are doing for those less fortunate than themselves. You can all be very proud. 🙂
Thank you Elizabeth! 🙂
I love that there are so many charities and other programs that are so helpful and determined to change the lives of others!
Me too!
I have been on the receiving end of charity and now that i am more stable i love to give back to local charities to help others who are struggling too!
It makes me smile to hear you have come full circle! All the best in 2016!
Amazing! I always give toys to the local happy tree each year.
Well done Florence!
Our family has gone through a big change this year and I really want to instil what is truly important in my children now that I have more of a say. Thank you for modelling this for others.
It feeds my soul. Wishing you and your family all the best in 2016!
It feels so good to give back by donating to charity and helping others, not just during the holidays but year-round.
You are exactly right Donna. My goal this year is to make people smile all year long.
Part of being able to give is being able to receive. We didn’t realize the true importance of that until the husband got sick and so many were kind and generous to us. This experience makes giving now even more of a joy.
Lori you are so right! We’ve had times in our life where we needed to receive too. Hope all is well with your family and so thankful you shared your story.
There is still goodness out there in people if we just stand back for a second and take a look. A great way to help those less fortunate at this time of year.
In our house we just the term to “zoom out”. Sometimes we get stuck and as you said standing back for a second you can see the goodness. Thanks Gord!
Our little guys’ afterschool does a similar collection of gifts. We also had a mountain-ful.
That makes me smile! Thanks Heidi!
It’s really nice for those kids that they get some genuinely cool, brand-name toys for Christmas. There’s nothing wrong with knock-off or dollar store toys or used toys (although some of these can come with health risks!). But it’s really nice that they get something comparable to that of their better-off friends. How lovely of these companies to all contribute with the hottest toys of the season!
You are exactly right Meg. They deserve to believe in the magic and experience Joy. It is very nice of the companies who help me grow our mountain. This is a highlight of my year, each year.
Wow, that’s such a kind thing that you have done this year. It’s very inspirational, and no doubt meant a lot to the families who received your generous gifts.
Thank you Victoria your kind words mean a lot!
I love when good deeds like this happen and it’s nice to help another, we all might need the help some day, I would have loved to of donated more or bought a gift for a child for our radio thon, but I myself is struggling this year and if it wasn’t for the few gifts that I have won over the year, no one would have been getting anything at all, but it’ll all work out and family is what matters!!
Lynda I am sorry to hear about your struggles in 2015. I am so happy to hear you won some giveaways over the year to help with gifting to your loved ones. Wishing you brighter days in 2016. XO
So great, we donate to the food bank and we donate toys at Christmas
Well done Cheryl!
How amazing!!! I give to the local needy tree at our local mall that goes to kids
I bet the kids love picking out that special gift to place under the needy tree! Well done Cheryl!
None of us ever know what is around the corner so we should all help those less fortunate as one day it may be us!
You’re words of wisdom as so true Julie! Thank you for sharing them with us!
Sometimes the smallest thing will bring hope to someone. Love what you did , this is the true spirit of Christmas!
We all need Hope!
Thanks Judy.
I sing with a barbershop chorus and we buy Christmas gifts for a needy family every year. Last year the mother’s thank-you note made me cry. She was so grateful, and said she’d shed happy tears when the full extent of what we’d donated became apparent (we over-shopped slightly, haha).
Your story gave me goosebumps and make me so happy.
You gave more than gifts and food that day, you gave her Hope.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Alison!
It tears me up when i read of goodness like this,everyone at some point in their life needs a helping hand…no exceptions we all do,so if you dont need a helping hand this year please put your hand out to help someone else.Blessings
Kathy you are so right!
Thank you!