Five Days of Kindness in Newport County

For the next five days tell us in the comment section or email your random act to tiverton@patch.com.  If you need ideas, check out this Facebook thread or this article on The Newport Buzz.

Days of Kindness Day 1, Monday April 22

• On Tiverton Patch's Facebook page, reader Toni L Ellis said "when at the grocery store, put some money's towards an elderly woman or man's groceries."
• A fund set up for Heather Abbott, the Newport resident who was severely injured in the Boston Marathon bombings reached nearly $50,0000 Monday.  Click here to donate. 
• Tiverton Patch readers paid friends and family compliments on Facebook
• The Newport Buzz helped us spread the word about our five days of kindness campaign and even wrote up an article with suggestions for those who are stumped on how to be nice.
• Several readers on Aquidneck changed their Facebook profile picture to our five days of kindness campaign.  Feel free to take the image of this article and do the same!
• A reader, who wished to remain anonymous, said she gave a homeless man $5 and sat down on a bench to chat with him.  “Although I did it for the kindness campaign, he made me smile and laugh. His attitude was contagious and I will visit him again,” she wrote.
• Patch watched a man let a mother with two children go ahead of him at Stop and Shop, even though she had a full cart and he only had a few items. 
• Help make smiles go viral. Report kindness you witness to tiverton@patch.com or tell us in the comments! 

About the Five Acts of Kindness Challenge

Last week was five days of darkness.  This week, the country can begin to heal.

For five days last week, we waited. On Monday afternoon, we waited to hear back from loved ones who might had been affected by the bombing at the Boston Marathon. Then it was waiting for answers from doctors about the wounded and for law enforcement to tell us who could do something so monstrous.

The waiting came to an end when police said the bombing suspects shot and killed a MIT officer. Boston stood still and the world watched law enforcement hunt and capture the second bombing suspect.

When bomber suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured Friday night, many cried tears not of joy, but of relief.

Nothing can repair five days of terror, death and injury.  Newport resident Heather Abbott remains in the hospital, severely injured.  Many island residents experienced the bloodshed first-hand and struggle with the horrors they witnessed. 

Newport County residents are battered, yet not defeated. We will heal and stay strong

For the next five days, let us do the opposite of what the bombers tried to do.  Instead of fear and terror, spread joy. Everyday, beginning on Monday, perform a random act of kindness and ask others to do the same.

Over the next five days, let’s make smiles go viral. 

We will document our five days of kindness here, so make sure you report back. You can either comment, upload photos or send us an email to erin.tiernan@patch.com.  You can remain anonymous or let people know who you are.   

This is our community, our neighbors, our happiness. Stay strong Tiverton and Little Compton.

Day 1: Monday April 21
Tell us in the comment section or email your random act to erin.tiernan@patch.com.  If you need ideas, check out this Facebook thread.  We will update this page as random acts are reported.