Kindness day 2022—dedicated to the loving memory of Barbara pellouchoud
The world lost a loving and kind soul in 2022. Barbara Pellouchoud lived a long 93 years, and along with her husband Patrick, inspired our founder, Elva Pellouchoud, to launch R2K. So we couldn’t think of a better way to spend this Kindness Day than by dedicating it to our very own Mama P—to celebrate her spirit that still lives on strong through all the people whose lives she has impacted with her wisdom, kindness and unconditional love.
Barbara’s inspirational notes were famous among her circle of friends and family. A favorite is pictured above and was the inspiration for our Neighborhood Porch Presents. One of our Kindness Ambassadors left anonymous flowers and notes on the doorsteps of her neighbors in an effort to reach out to her community. Her goal was to ensure everybody around her knew they were not alone during these unprecedented and overwhelming times. Barbara’s words added a touch of Mother Love to this kind act to brighten others’ days.
Another Kindness Ambassador remembers the day Barbara left a copy of Theodore Roosevelt’s The Man in the Arena on everyone’s desk. The words motivated her to volunteer for her local government in an effort to reverse climate change. The United Nations has identified kindness as the secret to achieving the world’s sustainability goals, so for Kindness Day, this R2K member volunteered her time to identify the people and organizations in her county daring greatly against climate change so they can be recognized and awarded. As a result, on May 10, the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners will publicly recognize and award four deserving sustainability champions, hopefully motivating more people to be kinder to Mother Earth and all her inhabitants.
And the motivation to be kind to others doesn’t end there. “My tribute to Barbara is having a commitment to instill kindness in my children as she so graciously did with her family,” said another Kindness Ambassador. As a result, children of R2K Kindness Ambassadors have:
Donated 60 R2K Buddy Bench coloring books amongst their fellow elementary school classmates so that they can enjoy a kind story and fun activity while learning about the importance of reaching out to kids who could use a friend on the playground.
Made 60 snack bags for children at Families Forward so that parents who collect their donated food items have an extra special treat to give to their children as a reminder that there are people out there who love and care about them.
Decorated six plain brown paper food delivery bags for Project Angel Heart with brightly colored markers and stickers to delight meal recipients with pictures of a grumpy puppy and friendly dinosaur.
Our hearts will feel heavy for a while when we think of the physical loss of Mother Love, but the Silver Lining is that she still lives on, and always will, through every act of kindness we leave along our way.