Six years ago today, Matt died. It’s still impossible to believe he’s gone. Even after six years, it still feels unbelievable. My husband, Ron, said, “In some ways, it gets worse as time goes by.” He went on to explain, that in the beginning, we had pictures of Matt that weren’t too far out of date, but every year that goes by, we are missing more and more pictures and memories that should have been. I agree, plus I felt like I could tough it out for a year or two without Matt but not 5 or 10 years. Continue reading Another Year Gone→
Susan Melton, (Cheboygan, MI), spreads positivity with chalk art. Every day she leaves a positive message on sidewalks for everyone to see. What started as a summer project in 2011, has turned into 12 years of chalking and she’s still going strong. Amazingly, she hasn’t missed a day, she’s out there chalking positivity, even in wind, rain, or snow. When asked how she dealt with the snow, she said, “I scrape off the snow and I chalk fast.”Continue reading Announcing our Matt Kurtz Kindness Award Winner for May 2023→
Until recently scientists believed that a forest was a group of individual trees living on their own. Thanks to Suzanne Simard, a scientist who was originally mocked for her theory of the interconnectedness of trees, we have an amazing new understanding of the ingenious ways in which nature works. Continue reading Lessons From Mother Nature→
Some people look at kindness and think it’s a weakness. They believe you have to be ruthless to succeed in life. They think kind people are soft people who allow others to walk all over them. I think they don’t understand the true meaning of kindness.Continue reading What Does it Mean to be Kind?→
My husband and I were walking along the beach in Costa Rica, when a cell phone, in a waterproof case, washed up on the sand. I picked it up and looked around hoping to see someone who looked frantic, but no one appeared to be searching for a phone. My next thought was to look in contacts to see if there was an ICE (In case of emergency) contact, but unfortunately, the phone was password protected. I figured, I’d keep the phone on me and the person who lost the phone would surely call it – even locked, I’d be able to answer a call. Then I noticed it was on airplane mode, which meant it would not ring. Continue reading #1 Tip for Cell Phone Users→
Today, Matt would be 38 years old. We’ve had to live 5 years and 9 months without his presence in our lives, without new memories, without his touch and his effervescent smile. We’ve learned how to live and find some happiness in spite of our grief, but there’s not a day that goes by that we don’t hurt from missing him. We’re grateful for the 32 years of wonderful memories we shared with Matt that make us smile and warm our aching hearts, but we miss him so much. Continue reading Help for Serious Mental Illness and Matt’s 38th Birthday→
Congratulations to Taha Umar who will receive $500 to fund his kindness project.
Note: We’re still giving two grants, the second one will be announced in March so that we can shine the spotlight on one person at a time. We’re able to do this because we have so many wonderful people who support us and believe in our mission. We truly appreciate all of the donations that make this possible.
We’re thrilled to announce that we have now presented in excess of $10,000 in kindness grants and awards! A huge thank you to the people who have won our awards and grants. You’ve inspired all of us with your kindness and amazed us with your creativity, perseverance, and compassion, and shown us what a huge difference one person can make in the lives of so many.
In addition, we’re grateful to every one of you for your support in believing in our mission of spreading kindness in Matt’s name and helping us keep his legacy alive.
When we started MKRO in 2018 our goal was to highlight one person at a time four times a year by presenting 2 awards and 2 grants.
Due to the generosity of our donors, we are now proud to announce that in 2023 we will be increasing them by committing to 4 awards and 4 grants per year. We will also be going back to the original format of shining the spotlight on one person at a time, but instead of four times a year, we’ll post winners eight times a year.
Our February grant winner(s) is coming up and this time you will see one winner in February and the other winner in March. That way the entire spotlight will be on one person at a time.
As we move forward we want to thank you for your continuing support. Matt’s kindness truly does ripple on! Keep nominating people who inspire you and submitting your kindness projects and we will keep giving our grants and awards.
Is there someone who inspires you with their kindness? Nominate them for the Matt Kurtz Kindness Award of $250.
Do you have an act-of-kindness project you want to do but need help funding it? Submit your idea for the Matt Kurtz Kindness Grant of $500 and let us help you spread kindness.
Of course, I’m going to love a book that starts out with the main character being asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and he answers “Kind.” It just gets better from there. The bestselling book, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, And The Horse by Charlie Mackesy has been made into a short, animated film, and I encourage everyone to watch it. It’s a charming story with a universal message of love, friendship, and hope.
