Over Mel's Rainbow: Random Acts of Kindness

Melissa's Story

Melissa Jacobs made the world a better place every single day of her too-short life. She made the lives of everyone who knew her better.
Pancreatic cancer may have taken her away from us in the physical sense, but her spirit is still with us. We now want to honor that spirit with Over Mel's Rainbow.

Other than her family and her friends, Melissa had two other great loves: The Wizard of Oz and Odyssey of the Mind.
Ever year, the World Final competition was a highlight of her year. To see her with the children who had come from all over the world to compete in creative problem-solving was to see how amazing she truly was. She helped children who were nervous to relax, communicated with children who didn't speak English through the wonders of music and dance, and just made everyone she encountered happy to have met her, even for just a moment.

We want to honor Melissa's beautiful spirit while also celebrating her love of Odyssey of the Mind.

Here's where you come in: perform a random act of kindness in Melissa's memory.
Pay it forward while thinking of her beautiful smile.
Each time you do, tell us about it. Tell us what you did; we'll post your act, but not your name (that keeps it random). For each act you tell us about, we will add a "brick" to Melissa's Yellow Brick Road.

From Melissa's home in South Dakota to Ames, Iowa (the location of the 2016 Odyssey of the Mind World Finals), is 268 miles. We are looking for 268 acts of kindness to build a 268-mile long Yellow Brick Road so that Melissa can still get to the Odyssey World Finals next year. So tell us about your act of kindness then come back here to see your brick added to her Road. And certainly, every time you see a rainbow, think of Mel.

Here are some of the Random Acts of Kindness that Melissa, herself, has encouraged:

Find opportunities to give compliments. It costs nothing, takes no time, and could make someone’s entire day. Don’t just think it. Say it.
Smile at a stranger.
Open the door for someone.
Send someone a card in the mail.
Pay for someone's coffee or meal.
Visit a neighbor.
Give a gift to someone who needs cheering up.
Volunteer.
Put change into an expiring parking meter.
Pay for part of the groceries for the person behind you in line at the register.
Compliment the first three people you talk to today.
Send a positive text message to five different people right now.
Post inspirational sticky notes around your neighborhood, office, school, etc.
Tell someone they dropped a dollar (even though they didn’t). Then give them a dollar.
Donate old towels or blankets to an animal shelter.
Surprise a neighbor with freshly baked cookies or treats!
Leave a gas gift card at a gas pump.
Let someone go in front of you in line who only has a few items.
Return shopping carts for people at the grocery store.
Practice self-kindness and spend 30 minutes doing something you love today.
Give away stuff for free on Craig’s List.
Send a gratitude email to a coworker who deserves more recognition.
Put your phone away while in the company of others.
Tape coins around a playground for kids to find.
When you hear that discouraging voice in your head, tell yourself something positive — you deserve kindness too!

Use your imagination - and get creative!
Aim "Over Mel's Rainbow" to pave her yellow brick road with kindness!

6 comments:

VeggieLibrarianAugust 31, 2015 at 5:45 PM
Such a beautiful list. It's so easy to choose kindness, and it gets easier the more you do it.
Fields of SuburbiaSeptember 3, 2015 at 2:20 PM
Over 400 incoming freshmen at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, spent the day completing service projects throughout the city. They helped with Habitat for Humanity, stuffed envelopes for non-profits, worked with kids, among many other projects. Hannah and Zachary were honored to do their projects in Mel's honor. :) Lynn Larsen
sarebethSeptember 24, 2015 at 7:16 PM
Today I donated blood. I go as often as I can but today I thought of Melissa while I was there. Of all the surgeries and hospital stays she probably benefited at least once from someone's donation. Today I made a donation that will help someone in need and it didn't cost a thing.
UnknownSeptember 30, 2015 at 3:35 PM
Today I bought a cup of coffee for a stranger behind me in line. It's not much, but it brought a smile to her face.
UnknownOctober 4, 2015 at 4:53 PM
I know Mrs. Jacobs loved Odyssey of the Mind, and since she made me smile even though I was so sick I could hardly speak at Odyssey of the Mind 2015 World Finals Spontaneous Holding, I put this random act of kindness in her name- I was watching an online Odyssey of the Mind skit from World Finals past, and was appalled at mean comments, so I simply commented something nice, and I still feel it was one of the best decisions I'd made all day.
NoemhouseOctober 19, 2015 at 4:52 PM
Gifted our neighbors with some food and money, as they're facing some challenges.