MARQUETTE — Volunteering. Offering a heartfelt smile or a listening ear. Raising funds for a meaningful cause. Opening a door. Shoveling for a neighbor who needs a helping hand.

Anna Dravland, creator of Spread Goodness Day, believes any act of kindness — no matter how big or small — can make a world of difference.

Last year, she recorded 10,000 acts of goodness across the globe on a single day in March that was dedicated to showing all people they have the power to make a difference.

This year, Dravland aims to record one million acts of goodness in 25 countries for the second annual Spread Goodness Day on March 15.

“I have almost no doubt in my mind that we’re going to meet that goal, people are being very, very amazing,” Dravland said.

While Spread Goodness Day falls on a specific day of the year — generally a Friday in March — it’s not just about spreading goodness on a single day, Dravland emphasized.

“It’s about showing people the power they have to change the world every single day with simple goodness,” she said. “So it’s just to empower people to understand that their actions literally change the world every single day.”

Spread Goodness Day is also not just about one place. While Marquette is the birthplace of Spread Goodness Day, Dravland encourages people around the world to take part.

“It’s for everybody, for everywhere,” Dravland said. “This is not a Marquette-specific event … wherever you are in the world, you can participate.”

The phrase “if you can dream it, do it” could certainly apply to participating in Spread Goodness Day, as there are many ways to participate as an individual, family, business, organization or school to help Dravland meet the goal of one million acts of goodness.

“Just spread some goodness however you want to, to whoever you want to,” Dravland said. “The special thing about it comes from all of the personal decisions that people make to make the day special.”

John Hyde, a veteran who volunteers at the DJ Jacobetti Center for Veterans and participated in a recent pre-Spread Goodness Day game of bingo with Dravland, residents and other volunteers at the center, has firsthand knowledge of spreading goodness in a way that is personally meaningful. He’s volunteered at the center for years, spending several days a week there.

“I just love being here; just because they’re veterans and they need all the attention that we can give them, they’ve earned it,” Hyde said. “There’s a lot of people out there that feel the same way that I do, there truly are, and that’s why we come here, the veterans deserve it.”

Many others are working to prepare for the day and already have big Spread Goodness Day plans in the works, Dravland said.

A few examples include surprise flower deliveries by Forsberg’s A New Leaf, Connect Marquette’s “Every Kid Deserves A Birthday Bash,” as well as a special event to be held at the Marquette Commons by Select Realty March 15.

The event will be “a Spread Goodness Day celebration zone” featuring sunglasses, cookies, a photo backdrop with a photographer ready to help participants commemorate the day, and even a video diary produced by Bennett Media to record acts of goodness by attendees, Dravland said.

There are many ways to help Dravland spread goodness before and on March 15, she said, noting sponsorship and volunteer opportunities are available.

“If people want to contact me directly, there are opportunities to help with specific things on the backside of things, but there’s going to be opportunities to volunteer all over town; if you’re not sure what to do, go volunteer at UPAWS or go donate your time, volunteer at bingo at the veterans center,” she said. “You don’t have to over think it; there’s opportunities every day all over the place to do good. We definitely are still accepting sponsors, we are a 501(c)(3) organization now and any sponsorship money will go towards promotional sunglasses, T-shirts and marketing efforts to try to reach the whole world.”

For those who wish to contribute to the nonprofit while getting a hat, T-shirt, tank top, sunglasses or other Spread Goodness Day merchandise, the organization has partnered with LoyalTees to create an online merchandise shop, Dravland said, noting it all “goes back to the organization and the mission.”

Overall, the experience of planning the second Spread Goodness Day has been a new journey for Dravland, she said, as she suffered a stroke in November 2017 as planning for the first one was well underway and she has watched the event take on a life of its own over the past year.

“I’ve had to learn a lot of different ways to work around the restrictions that I have and the deficits that I have, but it’s nothing short of magical to me, the healing and the positivity that (Spread Goodness Day) brought to my life,” she said. “At the end of the day, I did build something that was a platform, and the only way it works is if people get the message and decide to do good things. So it’s just been amazing to see people get it and embrace it and just watch it all explode.”

For more information or to find ways to participate, donate visit www.facebook.com/spreadgoodnessday or www.spreadgoodnessday.com. The LoyalTees page can be found at www.loyaltees.clothing/spreadgoodness.

Cecilia Brown can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. Her email address is cbrown@miningjournal.net.