Volunteers in Ann Arbor created a “Do-Good Progressive,” where they did a series of activities geared towards spreading joy towards others. Throughout the day, volunteers did more than 35 acts of kindness.
The Ann Arbor “Do-Good Progressive” again found participants doing a series of activities geared towards spreading joy towards others. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and we had a wonderful time!! We were a small yet powerful crew. And, quite appropriately, it seems that small was actually the theme of the day. A small number of people, each performing a small quantity of small acts of kindness. We ate ice cream, talked to people, played music, and spread some serious joy. This Do-Good Progressive included 6 activities:
- Painting the rock (a tradition that exists at the University of Michigan and also at Ty’s alma mater, Northwestern)
- Chalking the sidewalk with positive messages
- Giving a compliment to a random stranger
- Giving a hi-five and a smile to someone
- Buying a stranger ice cream
- Giving a bear hug to a friend
We also challenged participants to complete one small act of kindness before the Progressive, and then we all shared what we had done to kick-off the event.
This was my second time taking part in Ann Arbor’s CommuniTyler event, and I enjoyed myself immensely, just as I did the first time around! I would have to say that my favorite part of the Progressive was painting “The Rock” in Ann Arbor. The Rock is a huge rock in a very public place on the University of Michigan campus, which has been painted hundreds, if not thousands, of times. We painted “What did you do that was FUN today?” in huge, neon letters. Not only did it look great, but we had a ton of fun painting it. From what I’ve been told about Tyler, it sounds like something that he might have wanted to be a part of. Once we finished, I guarantee that most everyone who drove, walked, or biked past our message took notice- and, hopefully, gave some honest consideration to our question. To further my excitement with this activity, I happened to be running past the rock four days later, and our message was still untouched and shining in the afternoon sun! If you’re familiar with the high frequency of people painting The Rock (often, it can be multiple times in one night), then you’ll realize this is basically a miracle. It’s great to know that we were able to spread Tyler’s fun-loving spirit not only on Saturday, but also for a period of time following our day of service!
