Hello! We hope you, and your family, friends, and colleagues are doing well and are enjoying the holiday season. For the 32nd consecutive week, the Ball State University Center for Peace & Conflict Studies (www.bsu.edu/peacecenter) has compiled a list of acts of kindness and peace. The initiative began as a response to COVID-19 and the racism pandemic but has broadened to include any act of compassion or service to others. Please share these stories. If you have stories of positive acts people/organizations are taking and you would like to share them, please email them to Brandon Miller at peacecenter@bsu.edu. All the stories starting from week 1 are available online. Additionally, you can follow the Peace Center on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) at bsu4peace.
Preschool Director Moonlights as an Uber and Lyft Driver to Buy Gifts for Her Students
Beginning in November, Renee Dixon of Indianapolis has been moonlighting as an Uber and Lyft driver on weekends and when her day job as a preschool director ends. Dixon’s preschool serves many low income families, and many of those families have suffered financial losses during the pandemic. Knowing that her students’ caretakers would be struggling during the holidays, Dixon decided to earn some extra cash so that she could purchase gifts for each student at the school. She had been in a similar situation as a kid. “My mom was a single mom, and we didn’t have much,” Dixon said. “Certain things I wanted her to get me, she couldn’t.” So for every $100 that Dixon earns from her driving, she makes a trip to Target, where she buys puzzles, games, toys, dolls, and other items that she has heard her students express an in. Her initial goal was to buy two presents for each of her school’s 50 students: one present will be marked as coming from their caretakers (or Santa), and the other will come from the school. But Dixon has earned $2500 since November (she often drives until 1 or 2am), enough to fulfill the goal, purchase a gift for each student’s siblings, and still provide a small holiday bonus for her employees. Now she has a new goal. “I can’t give up,” she said, “even after Christmas. They still need coats and hats and boots.” So until each student has all the winter gear they need to keep warm, Dixon plans to keep driving.
Source: The Washington Post – https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/12/18/preschool-teacher-uber-christmas-gifts/?utm_campaign=wp_the_optimist&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_optimist
Police Officers in Charleston, West Virginia Distribute Gift Cards Instead of Traffic Tickets
If you have ever gotten a traffic ticket for speeding, you know the complex feelings dread and self-loathing engendered by the sound of the siren and the sight of flashing lights in your rearview mirror. Jeanna McCallister Lilly of Charleston, West Virginia had that experience recently, but it did not end with a ticket, as she expected. After taking her ID and registration, the officer returned to her car with a $10 gift card to a fast food restaurant. The South Charleston Police Department had acquired $500 in gift cards and were distributing them in lieu of traffic tickets, according to officer Robert Yeager. His colleague, Patrol Office Justin Morris, said that it was a pleasure to subvert people’s expectations that way: “Usually people aren’t too happy when you pull them over, but to put a smile on someone’s face like that…is a good feeling.”
Source: WCHS/ABC - https://wchstv.com/news/local/south-charleston-police-department-spreads-holiday-cheer
Teenage Girl Organizes a Yearly Toy Drive for Sick Children
Ten years ago, Emily Meyer, age 5, was admitted to the hospital on the evening of Christmas. During her stay, a volunteer visited her room with a toy. Emily had received presents from her family, but she was happy that people were out there spreading kindness. In fact, she decided to start a toy drive that year so she could help other kids in her situation. So in 2010, Emily’s Awesome Toy Drive was born. The drive only collected around 20 toys the first year, but it grew each year. Despite the pandemic, Emily – now 15 and a sophomore in high school – managed to raise $2500 in donations for her drive. Emily’s drive has become a family affair, too. The toys they collect are stored in the family basement until she and her parents get them all gift wrapped and delivered. Her mom, Tara, is touched by Emily’s generosity: “It’s been amazing how its grown over the years and knowing that she is able to provide comfort and care to anyone ill just gives us a lot of joy as a family.”
Source: ABC - https://abc7ny.com/localish/teen-celebrates-10-years-collecting-toys-for-children/8387566/