I've always had this idea while going to college: Around finals week, everybody is always stressed out, incredibly busy, studying constantly, and worried about the exams and their overall grades. Well, I always thought about passing out free balloons in a free speech area or in front of our student union to kind of take the edge off a little bit. A kind word, some encouragement, a few smiles, and a free balloon could go a long way. And this idea doesn't have to be for college students during finals week only, it can be done at a local park for children, an ice cream shop, or anywhere really. The biggest concern would be following some environmentally safe guidelines. http://www.balloonhq.com/faq/deco_releases.html This can help in instances of a bunch of balloons being let go, and floating away into forever.

It is currently the heart of finals week. It has been raining for days and today was the first sight of blue skies for a long time. As everyone races across campus hurriedly to their next dreadful exam, with dark circles under their eyes and stressed spirits, a student in sunglasses stands amidst the grass with a neon yellow frisbee. As I rush past him, we make eye contact and he motions to toss the frisbee at me. I shyly shake my head in fear of not being able to catch it, embarrassing myself, etc. He refuses my rejection, and throws it anyway. I panic a little but I end up catching it, resulting in my relief and a huge smile on my face. As I threw it back, he smiled and said "Did you see how little confidence you had? And you ended up catching that really well! Good Luck on finals!" What a way to brighten your day!

When I was 11, we were learning about kindness in english class. We were shown a video and then our teacher told us that we should do something kind to someone we didn't really know. I decided to do this kindness act to a girl in the other class called Linda. I knew her a little but really wanted to know her better. I thought about this a lot at home and then realised how she had given me so much candy. That night, I ran down to the closest shop and brought a bunch of lollypops and a kitkat. I found out which classes Linda took the next day. I arrived at school very early then went to the teacher of each subject she had and asked them to please pass it on to Linda. I left notes in her locker and a little quiz so that I could know her better. At the end of the day she came and gave me a big hug. During the planning and process of this kindness act I felt bubbly and happy and it really made my day knowing that I had done something meaningful and kind for someone else.

I buy scratchies/Scratch cards or lotto tickets and randomly give them to people. I leave them in their letter/mailbox, on their car, or on their doorstep for people to find. Its a great way to brighten someone's day. So easy, too!

Solange Tuyishime, Miss United Nations, escaped oppression in Rwanda and made her way to Canada where she earned a Masters degree and is now an Ambassador for UNICEF Canada. I have had the privilege of working with her and seeing her trying to make the world a better place every single day. Here is a picture of her visiting a school in Haiti with UNICEF. She is an amazing amazing woman and a true inspiration to us all :)

Rob Gorski shares his account of meeting a homeless man in the parking lot of his local grocery store. Often, there is more to the homeless person's story than meets the eye--this is one powerful story you won't want to miss. Read the full article here:

I have an identical twin sister named Laura and my name is Lourdes. My sister Laura was born first she is a minute older. We have the same initials but either way she is always called first because the first few letters if her name are La and mine are Lo. Since head start through college we have taken the same classes 95% of the time. She has always been the first one to be called upon during attendance or class lectures. I was surprised to learn that the New Mexico State University (NMSU) graduation ceremony committee put my name first to be called to recieve our diploma. I felt out of place because I am used to always being called second. I don't know who actually thought about doing this but they definitely made me feel extra special on my graduation day! Thank you NMSU.

When I was a child, my dad liked to keep busy. As he mowed his lawn, he walked over to the elderly neighbors and did their lawns as well. Now that I have my own house, I have followed after my dad. I've started to mow my neighbors' lawns as well as my own. When they get home, I see their big smiles as they pull into their driveway. The feeling that their smiles of thanks gave me was indescribable. Doing kind unexpected things for others is amazing.

I've been taking my car to the same shop for the past 6 years, and today (Good Friday) I needed to get my car in right away. The receptionist is always so nice and juggled other appointments to squeeze me in, so I stopped and bought everyone doughnuts on my way in to the shop to show my gratitude. They must have appreciated the gesture because the service was free of charge. I didn't expect that!

I was in the post office to mail some parcels. I had forgotten to put "Uganda" on the parcel and only remebered after the postal worker had weighed it and rung the price through on the till. When I mentioned my mistake, she was very patient. She simply got a piece of paper, wrote "Uganda" on it, stuck it on the parcel and then started again. I was so thankful for her calm patience that I went into the co-op that was attached o the post office and bought her a bunch of flowers. When I brought the flowers back into the post office, the look on her face was amazing!