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Posts Tagged ‘New Jersey’

Day 56 – Liz

Posted in Donation, tagged , , , , , , , on March 16, 2011| 8 Comments »

Blog post by Stephanie, a Kindness Investor from Mt. Laurel, NJ.

Today’s Intention ~ I am grateful.

Meet Miss Liz.  She is the hardworking friendly lunch aide and crossing guard at elementary school of my boyfriend’s son Gregory.  This mother of three daughters is always concerned about the children’s safety and was surprised by my gesture.  She showed her appreciation with a large smile.

According to Gregory, “Miss Liz is one of the nicest lunch aides! She is always happy and helps the children at the school.”

I wanted to involve Gregory in the project so I asked him why he was grateful for Miss Liz. He said, “Miss Liz cares for us, helps us when we need and is nice.”

She will be giving the money to the humanitarian efforts to help Japan.  She is so grateful for all that she has: food, clothing , shelter and feels it’s important to give back to people who have far less, especially the people of Japan.

I’m glad that today I was able to get a child involved in helping me give to someone; especially someone who offers so much help and support to children.

Today will be the last day that I will share my journey with you.  I am so grateful for having the opportunity to get involved in the Year of Giving!

It was a great joy to be part of it and I truly believe it inspires others as well.  I know today Gregory will be thinking more and more about giving.
A funny side note is that I keep finding money!  I found $6 in an old coat, $20 in the washing machine, and my mom gave me a scratch-off lottery ticket that won $50!

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Day 53 – Stephanie E.

Posted in Not recorded, tagged , , , , , on March 12, 2011| 4 Comments »

Blog post by Stephanie, a Kindness Investor from Mt. Laurel, NJ.

Day 4 Intention ~ Today, I Choose Greatness

I had the great honor to meet 9 1/2 years old Stephanie E. at Indigo Moon, a yoga/massage and gift shop where her mom works.  Stephanie is great not just because she shares a great name as me, but she is truly an all around amazing kid.  As a fourth grader, she is a Safety Patrol Monitor at her school.  Her role is to help as a hallway monitor and bus buddy. Stephanie is also involved in The Circle of Giving program at her school that was created to honor a teacher’s son who passed away in the third grade.  Stephanie believes the program has been going on since the 90’s. She thinks it’s a great opportunity because over Thanksgiving she volunteered at The Ronald McDonald House.  Stephanie has also decided to give back by volunteering to help the Food Bank of New Jersey feed people, especially children.

She decided to volunteer with her mom.  I asked Stephanie, “Why is your mom great?”  Stephanie said her mom is funny and makes her laugh. She says being funny helps people to be happy.

This young girl is not only giving in many ways, but also talented.  She is a great artist, an excellent writer and loves gymnastics, even though she is now healing from a sprained ankle.  Stephanie also likes swimming in the summer and always loves playing with her dog, Brodie.

This young lady describes herself as, “crazy in my own way.”  I asked her what that meant.  She said she likes to entertain people and is usually energetic and happy. Stephanie said the greatest gift you can share each day is happiness.  I have to say, I agree!

Kids are great and so are you, Stephanie.  I love the creative person you are.  You are a leader and will continue to do great things in your life!

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Day 52 – Liz

Posted in Food & Beverage, tagged , , , , , , , on March 11, 2011| 2 Comments »

Blog post by Stephanie, a Kindness Investor from Mt. Laurel, NJ.

Today’s Intention ~ Today, I Appreciate Joyful Living
I met birthday girl Liz at Border’s Bookstore.  She was working intently at her computer while listening to her iPod, the image of today’s college student.  I approached her as she was packing up and she was at first surprised and unsure about the Year of Giving.  She asked if I was going to ask her a bunch of “philosophical” questions about the meaning of life.  Being a deep thinker, I thought if we had more time I probably would have.  Instead I said I just wanted to learn a little bit more about her and her story.
Liz began sharing that she took a year off after highschool before she started community college.  She is currently undeclared, but she does harbor the idea of eventually going to law school.  She told me she would also like to take philosophy classes in college.
Liz went on to explain her passion for story telling.   She told me about a fictional love story she wrote in a blog a year ago.  She elaborated that she was contacted by a man who wants to turn the romance into a movie after Liz converts the blog into a script.  I now wonder if that is what she was working on before I approached her with the $10.  Liz also shared a ghost story with me about Ellicot City, Marlyand which I thought was funny because I have actually been there before.
Later in the conversation, I found out that it was Liz’s birthday and she was meeting up with a friend soon, but before she left I asked her what 3 things bring her joy in her life.  She said her Bichon Hagen, her family (Liz currently lives with her mom and her older brother just got married), and finally that one day she may be discovered! Hmmm, I wonder if that means joy that she will discover in herself or someone will discover her great talents as a writer.
Liz was a friendly young woman who I enjoyed speaking with!
I made an avatar of Liz because she didn’t want her picture taken.  Her hair was more blond with longer bangs, but I wanted to do something fun to honor the birthday girl/college student/writer who loves her dog and family!  Oh and she said the $10 will buy her coffee. She loves coffee and it keeps her going.  We both shared a good laugh that I was able to give her a surprise birthday gift!

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Day 51 – Carl B.

Posted in Donation, tagged , , , , , on March 10, 2011| 2 Comments »

Blog post by Stephanie, a Kindness Investor from Mt. Laurel, NJ.

I created an intention this morning ~ Today, I focus on listening.

My next Year of Giving experience brought me to my local library, a place I hadn’t really been to since I was a kid.  I was motivated to sign up for a library card when I was there because I found a series of children’s books called “The Way To Be” series which interested me.

This is where I met Carl B, who can best be described as “a wealth of historical knowledge”.  We began talking and Carl shared stories about Shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln, Milton Hershey, Da Vinci, Pearl Harbor, The Roman Empire and Ancient Greeks.

He is currently unemployed himself, but dreams about being a highschool history teacher one day. I was amazed at the “wealth of knowledge” Carl has within him and could easily share with high school seniors.   He said he was always interested in history since 5th grade and he learned a lot from books and museums.  He did say history movies sometimes fabricate the truth but documentaries are more accurate.  What fascinated me was Carl, didn’t just share historical facts and info. He talks about history like he lived it and knew the people directly.  He talked about the character of people, the stories that aren’t always in text books, and the history of objects and technology.

Carl was very friendly, talkative and is truly motivated to make a difference in teens.  He said his dream would be to teach seniors specifically because that would be the last year to motivate them to go to college and continue learning.  He believes he is a self-taught historian because of his hunger to learn about the past.

Carl plans to donate the money to PHILABUNDANCE, an organization that helps feed the hungry throughout Philly and the Delaware Valley. Every year he gives them money and shares a quote from Deuteronomy.

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Week 12 Kindness Investor: Stephanie

Posted in Food & Beverage, Kindness Investors, tagged , , , , , on March 8, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Name:  

Stephanie

Age?

35
Where do you live?

Mt. Laurel, NJ

Where were you born?

Voorhees, NJ

What’s the highest level of education you have completed?

B.S. in Elementary Ed and Special Ed.
Do you have a family?

I have an AWESOME FAMILY, GREAT FRIENDS who are like family to me and a WONDERFUL Boyfriend, Greg. His kids, Gregory & Grace are a ton of FUN too.  To tell the truth,  I feel connected to a greater global family as well!
How did you hear about the Year of Giving?

Facebook last Spring 🙂
How long have you been unemployed?

The beginning of Jan.
What happened?

What happened was honestly an unexpected story I could tell.  I didn’t expect to lost my job,  but in the bigger picture I believe the ending occurred in my life for something new to begin.  I valued the experience and loved working with kids, but I feel the change occurred in my life to empower me to create something more!

Do you currently volunteer?

I did volunteer the last two months to help co-create a character education curriculum for BUNNY HULL of DREAM A WORLD.   She wrote a series of awesome books called “The Young Masters Little Wisodom” series. I am now looking for a Montessori School to pilot the program at.  I have also recently volunteered to put together 15 raffle baskets for a friend’s mom who lost her home do to a house fire.

Who have been your biggest influences?

Wow, many people have influenced me throughout my life. I am inspired by my mom’s kind and giving spirit, the teachers who recognized something greater within me and helped pull it out,  and I am often influenced and inspired by children.  Since I was young I have been positively influenced by Walt Disney’s spirit because he had a vision and dream and made it come true.  I’d like to create something for kids based on my own visions and dreams.
What is your favorite food?

I ate at Planet Raw Organic Food restaurant in California once and not only did the food look like a beautiful work of art, but it felt like heaven.  By far it was the most satisfying food I have ever eaten in my life!

What is the most meaningful gift you have ever received?

I have received lots from friends in family in forms or loving supportive energy, but I also love receiving “gifts” from nature, like finding heart rocks while I am on a walk or finding a tree smiling at me. (See pic)  I find these “gifts” from nature are soooo much FUN!

I also feel it’s a “great gift from the universe” when I am driving and I find a license plate that speaks to me, like

WITHLUV, PEACEINU, LUVNLYF, HV F8TH, B-THEONE, BSTRONG, LVLIFE

(These are all license plates I have seen and when I safely can, I snap a pic)

The best one was HOPE ANN because that is the “pen name” I gave to myself for the two children’s books I wrote.  Whenever I see a license plate it’s like the perfect words for the day that often lifts my spirits!

Describe your ideal job:

Wow, I have begun to think I don’t want just another job. What I wish to do in my life would require lots of work, but I would rather be known as a creator as well as a published author who also designed products that positively influence children.  More than anything I would eventually love to be the creator of a children’s discovery play center called A MAGIC NATION!  It would be a place that brings a child’s imagination to life by focuses on the mind, body, spirit. This great space for kids would also feature a place called HEART KIDS PLAY SHOP, a creative gift shop where the products have a great value and purpose!

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