Article published by One Orlando Alliance

One Orlando Alliance asked several parents, of the 49 taken at the Pulse Nightclub Shooting on June 12, 2016, to share how they would like to see love and kindness shown this year on June 12th and they would like to share 49 beautiful ways to honor their loved ones.

  1. Visit an elder and ask them to tell you about the world when they were growing up or when they first got married or at their first job.
  2. Get school supplies for needy children
  3. Help prepare school backpacks for kids in need
  4. Offer to serve a meal at a homeless shelter
  5. Introduce yourself to a neighbor you don’t know
  6. Volunteer with Meals on Wheels or similar and take food and company to a housebound senior
  7. Volunteer at an animal shelter and give a stray some TLC
  8. Offer to babysit a small child so parents can have some quiet time
  9. Prepare a meal for someone undergoing debilitating medical treatment
  10. Smile at least 49 times today
  11. Hold a door for someone
  12. Let someone cut in front of you during rush hour traffic
  13. Teach a senior how to text, Skype, Facebook, or Whatsapp so they can stay connected
  14. Look at someone you normally disapprove of – and try to look at the world from their eyes.
  15. If you see someone who is very different from you – look at all the ways you are the same.
  16. Try to love and respect someone for who they are NOT what they look like.
  17. Have a simple meal at home instead of going out and donate the savings to a food kitchen
  18. Compliment someone you don’t know – you will make their day.
  19. Offer to help an elderly neighbor with their yard work
  20. Read a child a story
  21. Be patient with someone who doesn’t speak English
  22. Pick up something someone dropped
  23. At the airport help someone with their luggage
  24. In the plane help someone put in or take out their bags from the overhead compartment.
  25. Say something nice to someone you don’t like at work
  26. Strike up a conversation with someone you would never normally talk to
  27. Offer to go with an elder to a doctor’s appointment
  28. Offer to pick up a prescription for an ill or elder person
  29. Offer to sit with an elder so that their caregiver can have some respite
  30. Stay with a young child so that mother can go to the grocery store in peace for a change
  31. Pick up a neighbors mail while they are out of town
  32. Tell a police officer or a fire fighter that you appreciate what they do to keep us safer
  33. Tell a teacher they are heroes
  34. Donate food to a homeless shelter
  35. Mentor a child – especially a child with extra challenges
  36. Volunteer at organizations that help homeless teens
  37. Help a non-English speaker as they learn our language by offering to help them read a book or understand a TV show
  38. Try a food from a country you didn’t know and learn something about it.
  39. Pray for peace and tolerance
  40. Learn the proper way to store a gun and how to keep it away from children
  41. Become active in a cause that is important to you
  42. Hug someone you haven’t hugged in a long time
  43. Adopt a pet
  44. Considering being a foster parent
  45. Share your talents by performing for free in a public place.
  46. Teach someone to make music
  47. Teach someone how to paint
  48. Teach someone to read
  49. Try to love more every day

 

 

ABOUT ONE ORLANDO ALLIANCE:

Acts of Love and Kindness is a homegrown movement by the One Orlando Alliance to encourage our community, and those around the world who feel close to us, to honor all those who have been affected by the Pulse tragedy.

Since June 12, 2016, Orlando’s LGBTQ+ community has shown unprecedented unity and solidarity. We put our differences aside and supported one another with a future-forward commitment to a unified, inclusive, and empowered community. The greater Orlando community, and rest of the world, have stood with us and shown us enormous generosity, love, and kindness.