February 10, 2026
I was very grateful for the pleasure of having coffee this week with my buddy Bob Votruba, founder of One Million Acts of Kindness. Bob has been a very good friend of mine for many years and it is amazing to watch him put his convictions into action. A few years ago, Bob decided to give up his comfortable lifestyle and sell off EVERYTHING he owned to fulfill his calling and mission of being a difference maker. He organized One Million Acts of Kindness, as a grassroots campaign to spread the message of hope and unity throughout the world one random act at a time.
His plan centers around a pledge and commitment to do one deed every day of your life for the next 55 years! Bob was one of my first guests on my radio show in 2005 and we did a whole segment on kindness; who knew where he would be today? It was really great to see him since he had set out on the road in his custom painted, 1990 Chevy School bus, traveling the country spreading his message to students with his “kindness bus tour”.
Within our gospels last week, each of us are called to be the salt of the earth and light for one another (Mt 5:13-16). I cannot think of a better way to use my blog this week than to bring forth such an awesome example of that displayed through the pledge of One Million Acts of Kindness Week.
Here is an excerpt from the One Million Acts of Kindness web site explaining its purpose and mission: “Our goal is to reach out to children, teens, and young adults when their minds are open, and their personalities are developing. We hope to teach them kindness, empathy and a generosity for others. By living in kindness they will discover the happiness that they can bring to those around them, and ultimately to themselves as well. It is crucial to recognize the importance of being kind to others; adults and teenagers can set the example for young children to emulate. Nothing could be more important in the world than this.
If you hear something often enough, you start to believe it. The world today so often adversely affects children. Some of them may even start to believe they are part of a deteriorating culture awash with greed, mass consumerism, and low …. they are not!
We work with educators to create a curriculum for school children K through 12. Educators can then create specific programs for teaching kindness in the classroom with the emphasis on incorporating it into everyday life.
We need to remind the younger generation that they are good and let them know they are part of something new, something bright, something bold… a beginning. They are the start of a new generation, they need to start believing they are part of THE KINDNESS GENERATION!”
You can read more about Bob’s story, his efforts and to get for information about One Million Acts of Kindness Week at www.OneMillionActsofKindness.com
Take the time to do one act of kindness today and you will never know the difference you can make for another person or take the pledge and start on your way to ONE MILLION! “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” ~ Mahatma Ghandi
Posted by Greg Wasinski
