By CECILIA BROWN

Journal Staff Writer

MARQUETTE — Fundraising for nonprofits. Washing windows. Handing out flowers to local nurses. Distributing goodie bags. Donating bus fares. Feeding parking meters.

These are just a few examples of the many acts of goodness that took place on the second annual Spread Goodness Day March 15.

Although it’s about far more than the numbers, Spread Goodness Day creator Anna Dravland and her team have already counted thousands of good acts that were recorded that day, she said.

“We’re tracking about 20,000 acts of goodness so far, and we know that a lot more happened,” Dravland said. “And I just think about the thousands of people that participated. And walking around that day, and people yelling ‘Happy Spread Goodness Day’ — that was like magic.”

Throughout Spread Goodness Day, people across the nation and world found ways to spread goodness in their own unique ways, Dravland said, as acts of goodness were recorded in at least six countries and 12 states.

Acts of goodness recorded included everything from a local four-year-old donating inches of her hair to children who have hair loss, to Connect Marquette’s Every Kid Deserves A Birthday Bash; to Encore Financial and Theresa Sell distributing hundreds of flowers to local nurses; to the Delta County Credit Union helping to move furniture into the Delta Regional Child Advocacy Center’s new family room; to Honor Credit Union and the Radio Results Network feeding parking meters, buying coffee, and more around town; the Munising Flower Shop’s donation to Altran to help those who can’t pay bus fares and the Superior Eye Health & Vision Therapy Center selecting nominees to receive free pairs of prescription glasses.

Travelers also got a taste of Spread Goodness Day, Dravland said, as many vacationers from Marquette told her they performed an act of goodness at their destination, and she worked to give 65 travelers at Saywer International each a pair of Spread Goodness Day sunglasses.

“American Airlines did a little gift bag for their outgoing flight that day, so 65 people got a little gift bag,” Dravland said. “And I decided to give them each a pair of sunglasses because I loved the idea of sending them off in the sky with Spread Goodness Day and seeing where they take it.”

The opportunity to personally experience and observe many acts of goodness first hand brought joy to Dravland, she said.

“Just to see so many different ways that the community individually chose to bring goodness into the world — whether it be just baking cookies for someone, or raising money for nonprofits, or making 100 birthday bags for kids that can’t afford it — it was really such a special experience to see how many different ways people love to do good,” she said.

A major highlight of Dravland’s own Spread Goodness Day experience was returning to Sandy Knoll to speak, with over 400 pairs of Spread Goodness Day sunglasses donated by Christian Verardi from Edward Jones

“Those kids really just get it,” Dravland said. “And the kids really reinforce it to me that it’s important to do things like this and to share it and to celebrate it; because that’s how they learn.”

Dravland is also working to continue spreading goodness all year round, as Spread Goodness Day became a 501(c)3 nonprofit recently, she said.

“I’m very, very excited to have built the foundation we have because we’re very confident moving forward that it’s just going to continue to grow. And now we are a 501(c)3 so there’s different avenues of getting funding and support to continue,” Dravland said. “A long term goal for the nonprofit is we’d like to be able to sponsor events in the future and support organizations that are also helping people survive with as much goodness as they can.”

With Spread Goodness Day growing as a platform and foundation, Dravland is also seeking volunteers to join the effort, she said.

“I really am looking for a team,” she said. “It’s grown to the point where I need more to help and it’s hard for me to do this in the first place without help. So volunteers (are needed) for things as simple as adding it to event calendars around the country, or as in-depth as being a volunteer coordinator or managing sponsorship programs. So there’s a lot of room to insert people and get them in the goodness game.”

For those who live outside the Marquette area and still want to help, Dravland will be seeking Spread Goodness Day ambassadors to spread the word in their own communities.

“You can lead your community in celebrating Spread Goodness Day,” she said. “I’m going to be working as much as I can to develop it so that anybody can go to my website and download a packet of information and make spread goodness exist more dominantly in their community.”

Volunteers are especially needed, Dravland said, as she’s already ramping up for the next Spread Goodness Day on March 13, 2020, and aims to be the “goodest Friday ever,” Dravland said.

A documentary on Dravland’s stroke, recovery process, and the first two Spread Goodness Days by Bennett Media will also be coming out in the near future, Dravland said, advising interested parties to “keep an eye out” online for the upcoming documentary.

For more information on Spread Goodness Day, how to volunteer or participate, visit www.facebook.com/ spreadgoodnessday or www.spreadgoodnessday.com.

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