Day 271: #AJO

My mom sent me this story earlier that I just had to share. Recently, a young girl passed away from epilepsy and all she wanted the morning she passed away was get a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. After she passed and her parents were able to properly grieve, they wanted to give back in honor of her. They went to Starbucks and paid for the next 40 people in like and wrote #AJO (Alyssa Josephine O'Neil) on each cup. The employees at Starbucks were so touched by the gesture that they handed out 50 additional drinks for free all with #AJO on them. To read the full story, click here.

To keep the movement going, I went to Starbucks and explained the story to the employee. I asked for her to write #AJO on my cup. In addition, I bought a drink for the person behind me and again asked if they could write #AJO on it. I don't know if the person behind me will ask about it or even notice. No matter, I was still able to honor a complete stranger whose family is on the other side of the country and  is trying to make a difference. All because a sweet girl wanted a pumpkin spice latte. 

I strongly strongly encourage you try it. Keep the #AJO movement going!

God bless,

Kailee

Day 205: Coffee For Cassidy

Our community is at it again! This time Dutch Bros in Kennewick were donating all proceeds to Cassidy. Cassidy, for those who didn't read a few blogs earlier, was in a severe accident. In response others are now fundraising to help pay for medical bills. All day the line at Dutch Bros was never ending. I drove by several times and the line was at least 20 cars long. This afternoon a co-workers mom waited in line and picked up a drink for everyone at work. My first drink: Peach Smoothie!

Then after dinner my mom saw that Dutch Bros was open until 10PM. This intrigued my dad, so Dad and I went to Dutch for yet another drink. Drink number two: Watermelon Green Tea. 

In addition to donating the proceeds, all tips collected today go to Cassidy's fundraiser. For those of you who love your Dutch and/ or are night owls, Dutch Bros on Clearwater will be open and donating proceeds until 5AM.

God bless & keep the Almquists in your prayers,

Kailee

Day 185: Cup O Joe For A Joe

Happy Fourth of July! Happy birthday America! Today, is a day of celebration and a day of remembrance. We celebrate our great nation and we remember those who have fallen and those who fight for our freedom, so that we CAN celebrate. This morning the other contestants and I had our Miss Washington interviews and that was proceeded by a very fun time at Ifly (indoor skydiving)! So even though I am quite sequestered at the moment, I still wanted to find a way to show my appreciation to the troops and this beautiful country.

I was doing a little Google search and found an interesting sight called Green Beans Coffee. This is a sight dedicated to providing coffee to our troops. One troop will receive coffee for a small fee of $2. Now, because the majority of us reading this are from Washington State (a.k.a. the Starbucks State) and we love our coffee, we understand the thirst for a cup of joe. Its a warm and simple joy to remind us of warmth and comfort. I, even though know I'm not fond of coffee, know how great it feels to snuggle up on a poor day and just drink some- in my case- hot chocolate. It's a luxury that we all take for granted. We as a great country love to help others and I would love to share a cup a joe with a joe to celebrate our amazing country and freedom!

God bless America, our home sweet home,

Kailee

Day 1: Bought Coffee For A Stranger

Happy New Year! Well, today marks day number 1 of my random acts of kindness! And although I had planned on kicking off the year with a different act, I ran into complications because of businesses being closed for the holiday. So, this afternoon Nicole and I drove to Starbucks and paid for the order of the car behind us and left a simple note. I chose to begin with this because I thought it would be a great way to start off someone's year!

After the barista realized that I was trying to pay for the order of the car behind me, we were on our way. As we looped around to pull back out onto the main road, I couldn't help but notice that the car was still sitting at the window. Could it be that they too were paying for the person behind them? I have seen this act done a good amount of times, however, it is so simple and can even start a chain reaction. I guess we can only hope!

On a side note, before this took place I was texting my best friend Nicole. I had told her I needed to complete an act of kindness for the day and she did not even hesitate before asking to accompany me. It is amazing to see that it is only day one and already others are excited to be involved. I hope you too will join us.

Have a random act of kindness you would like me to try? Comment below.

God bless, 

Kailee