CB honors Sandy Hook victims with 26 acts of kindness

CBMR, Chamber of Commerce spread kindness through the valley

The shooting tragedy in Newtown, Conn. left a lot of people wondering what they could do to help, to heal, or to simply make sense of it all. In the days that followed, NBC news correspondent Ann Curry had a suggestion—practice 26 random acts of kindness as a way to honor the lost children and their teachers, and to spread a little cheer.

The idea caught on, and even all the way out here in Crested Butte, Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) and the Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce are each spreading their own 26 acts of kindness. The hope is that kindness will be contagious.
“We hope this gains momentum throughout the community,” said Dan Marshall, director of the chamber.
The movement began on December 16, when Curry wrote on her Facebook page, “Imagine if we all committed 20 acts of kindness to honor the lost children of Newtown (or 26 acts, including the heroic teachers). I’m in. A growing number on Twitter are in. #20Acts #26Acts What do you think FB friends? If yes, share!”
Share, people did. Within three days a Facebook page for #26Acts had more than 17,000 likes and it was trending on Twitter. Soon, emails were spreading at the chamber and CBMR encouraging local action.
Erica Reiter, CBMR’s public relations and communications manager, is keeping track of a growing list of kind acts performed around the resort. CBMR delivered a meal to a Gunnison family on Christmas day. Guests whose travel plans were delayed by the recent airport closure found cookies and handwritten notes in their rooms.
“Ann Curry’s idea went viral, and we thought it was appropriate during the holidays to take a moment to recognize the [Sandy Hook] victims who were lost and also do good to each other,” Reiter said.
Spreading kindness is one way to counteract such an evil act. Reiter says it’s about the little things more than grand gestures.
“The purpose of it is really about opening the door for people, thanking them, looking them in the eyes and making them feel recognized,” Reiter said.
That’s in keeping with the national movement, which has seen people pay for the next person in line at the sandwich shop, pay for parking meters and tolls, and even pay for layaway accounts. At CBMR, staff collected money for an employee with cancer.
But #26Acts is also about more than money. Resort staff went out of their way to track down a missing package for a guest and hand-delivered it to their room. Even resort mascots Bubba and Betty are getting in on the action by making a special appearance to meet twin girls who can’t wait to meet them.
The Chamber of Commerce is also getting in on the action, however its random acts of kindness were not yet available at press time. It makes sense that #26Acts would make its way to Crested Butte—we’re a giving community already. Now let’s see if the examples at CBMR and the chamber can spread their way through town.