Being Thankful For Melrose Kindness: Letter

The following was submitted by Maribeth Darwin and Stephanie Nelson of MelroseKind:

To the editor,

We’d like to thank the city of Melrose for participating in the sixth annual Melrose Random Acts of Kindness Day, held on November 20th. This year’s celebration was bigger and better and kinder than ever and that is because of the involvement of so many people and organizations in our community. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for each of you who played a part in recognizing the value of kindness and acting upon it.

We asked teachers and parent-representatives to work with elementary school students in writing letters to our local senior citizens. The response was a resounding “yes,” allowing us to deliver over 1,000 letters to senior communities throughout our city. Letters that included questions like, “what was it like when you were young?” and “do you like to skateboard?” delighted our eldest citizens and had them writing responses and asking for pen pals.

The hundreds of cards created by MVMMS students for Melrose-Wakefield Hospital staff and patients put smiles on faces and warmed many hearts. “Hang in there,” “Be Strong,” and “Keep Fighting” gave way to “Thank you for taking care of us,” and “You are heroes.” MelroseKind delivered breakfast and lunch to hospital staff, but it was the letters and cards that were most treasured, re-read, and shared. Just when we thought we’d exhausted our letter writing kindness, 900 thank you notes arrived, written by Melrose High students and ready to be delivered to teachers in Melrose and beyond. “You might not remember me,” said one. “But I will always remember you.”

It wasn’t just the students who got into the kindness action this year, but the Parent-Teachers Organizations that showered educators with posters and murals, snacks and coffee. Let’s Talk Melrose and MMTV treated the DPW to lunch. The School Committee surprised Central Administration with coffee and donuts and the City Council treated the City Clerk’s Office to lunch. Kate L-G, our state rep, let SDM Foundation know how important they are and the Melrose High Do Good club brought gifts to every crossing guard in our city. Local gyms held “charity only” classes, sponsored clean-ups, and celebrated MAAV with a bouquet of flowers. The High School band woke early to serenade students and educators as they entered the building and so many lobbies of schools had hand drawn murals of kindness to kick off the day.

A significant number of local citizens joined in the fun, giving Melrose Kindness to our school nurses, the Post Office, the Department of Health, the library, and one little girl having a particularly hard day. The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts embraced kindness with deliveries to the Police and Fire and to everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving hero: Scott Macauley.

Throughout the city, our MelroseKind posters brightened windows and doors and retailers and restaurateurs wore kindness stickers, swapped kindness cards with each other and with customers, adding sweets and treats in with packages.

Local Kindness Warriors gifted local shops “Pay It Forward” boards, encouraging customers to purchase gift cards and leave them to be used by others. Local restaurants surprised tables with free champagne, kindness cocktails, on-the-house appetizers, and special desserts. It was wonderful to watch our community bursting with kindness, as MelroseKind set up outside the YMCA at our “kindness patch,” encouraging photos at the beautiful kindness mural created by Follow Your Art, listening to music sung by local musicians who donated their time in the name of kindness, and drinking hot chocolate, served by our mayor.

We are confident so much more happened on November 20th to honor and celebrate kindness in Melrose and beyond. We look forward to keeping it going throughout the year and hope you’ll keep us posted by following MelroseKind on social media and our website and dropping a line to melrosekind@gmail.com.

MelroseKind and Melrose Random Acts of Kindness Day started small, but has become a movement with so many eager to get on board. We feel blessed to live in a place that makes kindness a priority and look forward to a time when every day is started with an act of kindness and our city is known as the epicenter of it all.

Maribeth Darwin & Stephanie Nelson
MelroseKind