Alex McKelvey of Lakewood, Washington might only be eight years old, but she already has a good grasp of what kidness and selflessness are all about.
In honour of her late grandmother named Linda, Alex decided to perform 600 acts of kindness and began doing this in September 2013 right after her grandmother died. The family intended to do only 60 acts of kindness to commemorate what should have been her 60th birthday but Alex decided to take things up a notch.
"I picked 600 because it was 10 times more than 60," Alex told The News Tribune. "And we're not going to stop there. We're going to do thousands, then a million. I'd like to reach so many people."
The acts ranged from simple things such as leaving a quarter taped to a gumball machine or leaving a huge tip whenever the family eats out.
They also leave magazines at emergency rooms, toys in dog parks, and volunteer to feed the homeless.
They sometimes try to be more creative in their acts of kindness by wrapping candy treats or leaving surprise $1 or $100 bills in ribbon-tied napkins or eggs, which they distribute during Easter.
Alex's family is not rich, so they had to give up certain things in order to complete their acts of kindness. "We're not rich or close to it," said Alex's mum Sarah, who is a caseworker for Greater Lakes Mental Health. "But we decided to use our finances a little differently. We're giving up a few luxury things, and we've chosen to live a simple life."
One of their more ambitious acts was sprucing up the youth centre of their local YMCA by giving its walls a fresh new coat of paint, adding pictures to liven up the place, and even providing a television and blu ray player, board games, and gaming tables so people there could have something to enjoy.
"I'm not doing these to be a perfect girl or celebrity," Alex told KOMO News. "I don't even want to be any of those. I just want to be a nice little girl."
