Hanukah Challenge: Kindness 101 |
This week I found myself thinking about a man many of you may know from his “Kindness 101” series on CBS—Steve Hartman. I heard him speak recently at NYSSBA, the New York State School Board Association conference, and I walked away genuinely moved. There is something disarming about the way Steve notices people. He has a gift for finding small acts of courage, generosity, and hope in places the rest of us might overlook. He finds every day people, people like you and me, and in interviewing them, he finds diamonds in the rough, stories of heroism and extraordinary actions of ordinary people.
One story Steve shared at NYSSBA was the story of Robbie Gay from Florida who had experienced a hard beginning in life. Robbie entered the foster care system after being abused and neglected. Once he was adopted into a loving family, something remarkable happened. Because he understood what it feels like not to be loved, he made it his mission to care for those who are often overlooked. Robbie began visiting his local animal shelter and choosing to adopt the oldest, least adoptable dogs, the ones others usually passed by, because he knew they needed love too. His example inspired many others in his community to adopt older pets as well, and he even began volunteering regularly at the humane society, advocating for animals that many........