‘Tis Always the Season to Be Giving

By:
Jocelyn Dornfeld
on Sun, 11/26/2017

The holiday season is often a time for giving, but it’s not just about purchasing presents for those friends and family members who nicely avoided the naughty list. It’s also the season to give back to your community, your neighbors and people you may not even know.

With the winter months putting everyone into a festive, charitable mood, I thought I’d provide further inspiration by way of restoration companies who’ve demonstrated generosity all year long through Restoring Kindness.

#RestoringKindness 2017

Launched in 2015, Restoring Kindness was created by the owners of A&J Restoration, Kent and Lynn Rawhouser, and myself, with the goal of helping local businesses and individuals to do kind things for strangers, expecting nothing in return. We saw this as an extension of what we already do in the industry--helping people. Instead of waiting for a disaster to strike before lending a hand, we wanted to develop opportunities to care for the community and our neighbors in ways that are more organic.

Restoring Kindness--and the social hashtag #RestoringKindness--has become a social movement benefiting unsuspecting recipients. Throughout the past year, over 60 companies have committed to and participated in the campaign--this is nearly double the number of companies who joined on in 2016.

From shoes, clothing and food drives to barbecues, golf outings and organization stations for school supplies, I am continually amazed and inspired by the kindness being shown to others. Even simple gestures of opening the door for a stranger or complimenting a person can go a long way toward brightening someone’s day.

Restoring Communities
While #RestoringKindness is all about the little things you can do for others, it’s hard not to be energized to give back when you see companies going above and beyond for their communities. The entire Dalworth Restoration company banded together during the 2017 Independence Day holiday weekend to restore a wall in commemoration of the heroes and victims of 9/11.

The employees prepped the area through landscaping and debris removal, before priming and painting on images of the American flag. The work done to the retaining wall of an Arlington, Texas, residence has not only improved curbside appeal, but has restored what has long been a community landmark.

Redefining Kindness
In addition to doing random acts of kindness in the name of #RestoringKindness, companies also participated in a contest answering the question: “What does Restoring Kindness mean to your company?” A couple of my favorite answers were:

“To [Violand’s Management Associates], Restoring Kindness is a commitment to ourselves to live out who we tell others we want to be through simple gestures and awareness. Bringing a smile or a feeling of optimism to a stranger with no expectation of anything in return in the hope they pay it forward knowing there is no end game, no finish line and no stopping point. There is only the aspiration that kindness should not and cannot be contained. We can all give more, need more and experience more. We may not have the resources to make a typhoon of good deeds, but Restoring Kindness helps us provide the ripple, that with the combined efforts of others can become the great wave of goodness we all desire to see.”

“Restoring Kindness means creating happiness and restoring faith in humanity within our community, one random act at a time.” -Skyline DKI

The winning restoration business was awarded a $250 gift card by Job-Dox to use toward #RestoringKindness in their community. The winner was Alpha-Omega Disaster Restoration, who submitted the following response:

“To Alpha Omega Disaster Restoration, #RestoringKindess means leaving those around us a little bit 'better' than they were before by treating everyone with the same compassion we show to dear friends and family. We hope that this kindness from simple interactions with strangers will spread from person to person and day to day, showing others that they are not alone in this world.”

Restoring Kindness Inspo
While we encourage #RestoringKindness all year long, there’s no better time than now to get started. The following are all ways the restoration companies involved with Restoring Kindness have been involved with their community, and serve as great examples at what you, your company, your family, or your friends can do as well.

  • Deliver treats to a police and fire stations.
  • Cook and share meals with elderly neighbors.
  • Donate coloring books to children’s hospitals.
  • Serve warm beverages at parks and community centers this winter.
  • Drop off plants or flowers at assisted living facilities.
  • Pack meals for hungry families.
  • Leave an encouraging note on somebody’s car.
  • Purchase coffee for the person in line behind you.
  • Leave a preloaded Metro card for someone else to use.

 

Now it’s your turn. How can you be a superhero in your community?

For more information about Restoring Kindness and how you can join, head over to our website restoringkindness.com and click on the Get Started link or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/restoringkindness.