Creating cards for seniors
The four student leaders who promoted RAC when they were 8 and 9 years old, are still involved in RAC and reflect on how this initiative has impacted their lives.
Taking RAC up north and presenting in Prince George.
Real Acts of (COVID Safe) Caring Ideas:
1. Thank our front line workers by: using social media; posting positive words of encouragement in your windows; and sending cards.
2. Write caring cards to seniors at care homes.
3. Be a good neighbour, especially if you have elderly ones. Shovel their driveway, rake leaves, drop off food, from a distance, and use technology to reach out to them to make sure that they are okay.
4. When you are shopping, only take what you need. Or if you can afford it, drop off any extras at places which may need them.
5. Be extra caring and kind at home and enjoy the together time with your family. One day you may look back at this time and remember the fun memories of being together with just your family.
6. Reconnect by writing letters to people whom you have not seen for a while. Send photos and ask them about their lives.
7. Pick up the phone and call someone! Ask them how they are.
8. Leave flowers for someone.
9. Bring in someone’s garbage or recycling bins. Remember to sanitize your hands really well before and afterwards.
10. Run errands for someone who needs help or doesn’t feel safe going out.
11. Buy coffee for the person behind you.
12. Be a good listener. Lots of people are going through tough times and it often feels really good to have someone who is paying attention.
13. Support local businesses by ordering takeout or purchasing gift cards.
14. Remember to also be caring and kind to yourself!
Real Acts of Caring:
Our 77 Most Popular RAC Ideas
1. Spread the idea of RAC by talking to your local government.
2. Donate your hair (8 inches or more) to a wig making company which makes wigs for kids who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment.
3. Hold a door open for someone and smile.
4. Donate clothes, games or toys which are in good condition which you no longer need.
5. Out of the blue, make a card for a friend to let them know what they mean to you.
6. Say "please" and "thank you" and be sincere about it.
7. When you're on a crowded Sky-train or bus, offer your seat to an elderly, disabled or pregnant person
8. Call someone you haven’t spoken to in a while rather than texting them.
9. Ask your neighbour if they need anything when you are running to the store.
10. Donate your used books or magazines to your local library.
11. Praise someone in your life for doing a good job, and mean it.
12. Acknowledge elderly people, help them if they need it, smile, and offer some small talk.
13. When you finish raking your lawn, rake your neighbor’s lawn too.
14. Take a stand for someone who is being wrongly treated or bullied.
15. Buy someone at a local coffee shop a free drink. You will be amazed at how good it makes you feel to see them look surprised and happy.
15. If someone is short some change, give it to them.
16. When someone is talking to you, instead of thinking of what you will say next, really listen
to what they are saying.
17. Let someone go ahead of you in line.
18. Have good manners.
19. Volunteer and donate some of your time to a charity.
20. Talk to a shy person who is by themselves at a social function.
21. Greet people with a smile and an enthusiastic hello.
22. When you receive good service, tell the person’s manager or boss.
23. Acknowledge people when they walk into the room. It only takes a moment and we really,
really appreciate it!
24. Leave a newspaper, book or magazine for someone else when you’re finished.
25. Don't complain for a whole week!
26. Leave kind and sincere notes for people.
27. Be respectful and kind to someone you dislike.
28. Teach someone some skills in the cyber world.
29. Give your pet or someone else's pet an hour of positive loving attention.
30. Put your cart away when you’re done shopping.
31. Call or write a teacher who changed your life.
32. Help a friend move.
33. Recycle your garbage, and someone else’s, after a movie, picnic or visit to a park.
34. Volunteer to take care of a friend or neighbor’s pet when they go on vacation.
35. Offer to babysit for a single mother or father.
36. Start a neighborhood garden.
37. Shop at local businesses.
38. Volunteer at a food bank.
39. Be kinder to yourself by embarking on a self-care campaign.
40. Throw someone a surprise party.
41. Give a child a balloon.
42. Volunteer at a senior center.
43. Buy some flowers and go into local businesses
and give out flowers to people who work there.
44. Mentor an at-risk child or teenager by becoming a big brother or big sister.
45. Donate stuffed animals to police and fire departments.
46. Donate items to emergency pet hospitals, such as blankets and towels.
47. Grow your hair long and donate it.
48. Bring a care package to a sick friend or someone in the hospital.
49. On special occasions have people donate to charities in lieu of giving you gifts.
50. Be cooperative and patient.
51. Do one of the chores for someone in your family.
52. Make a favorite meal for everyone in your family.
53. Email them to say that a song or movie (or food or whatever!) reminded you of them.
54. Take a friend out for a treat (drink, ice-cream etc).
55. Write and mail a letter to a friend.
56. Pick up their mail and bring it to the house, ask how they’re doing when you drop it off.
57. Plant flowers in a neighbour’s yard while they are away.
58. Make extra when you are canning, jarring, baking, etc and give it away.
59. Sign up for a special event or class with a friend.
60. Tell a friend about the qualities you admire in them.
61. Give your friend a hug and a compliment.
62. Write a letter to someone you admire telling them how they have touched your life.
63. Let the person behind you in line at the grocery store go ahead of you.
64. Bake bread and deliver it to a fire station, group home, etc.
65. Give cookies to your mail carrier.
66. Make kind cards with affirmation statements and pictures and hand them out to strangers.
67. Smile, talk with, and thank store clerks.
68. Clean up a local park with your friends.
69. Return someone’s shopping cart.
70. Pay the toll for the car behind you.
71. Leave an extra big tip for your server.
72. Bake cookies for a neighbor or teacher
73. Donate to your favorite nonprofit group on your birthday.
74. Volunteer to read to children at your nearest library.
75. Look for opportunities to open the door for someone or give up your seat for someone.
76. Buy lunch for the table sitting next to you as you pay your own. Don’t let them know it was you who paid!
77. Get your parents involved in RAC with any of these ideas above! Turn RAC into a family event so that they can experience how good it feels too.
Real Acts of Caring (RAC)
It's about doing something kind for another and not expecting anything back.
Citadel Students working together to reach out to their community during Covid times.
'RAC'ing unsuspecting customers at local coffee shops.
Some of our RAC Club members have cut and donated their hair to companies who make wigs for free for kids who have lost their hair.
New RAC Directions:
Intergenerational Integrities (II)
II is a new program aiming to bridge the connection between youth and seniors. Due to Covid-19, many seniors are feeling isolated because of visitor restrictions and we are missing them too. We have been organizing online meetings where we can connect and share stories.
If you are interested in being a part of this program, please email braidynlmc@gmail.com for more information.
SUPER (Single Use Plastic Elimination Reinforcement) Team
Students in the Coquitlam School District are lobbying with the municipal and provincial governments to have single use plastics banned! Join this movement and get involved by starting up a SUPER Team at your school. Contact us at changharriette@gmail.com for more information.
RAC Club Members helping out with Christmas Food Hampers