The best acts of kindness motivate others to join in themselves. Fabiana, our Regional Representative for Brazil, started off wanting to brighten the days of children with cancer. But in the end, Fabiana’s one act of kindness ended up influencing another gift! Dia das Crianças (Children’s Day) is observed every October 12 in Brazil. The holiday is devoted to celebrating children, whether it be through charitable acts supporting them or fun festivals for children to attend. Parents typically give presents to their children as well. It also shares a date with Dia de Nossa Senhora de Aparecida, the feast day of Our Lady Aparecida and a national holiday in Brazil. Fabiana celebrated Children’s Day by completing a staff act of her own.
Getting Inspired
When preparing for her act, Fabiana drew inspiration from a number of sources. First, Fabiana read about an act by fellow Random Acts volunteer Brittany Sheffield. Brittany provided baby blankets to her local Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. This spurred Fabiana to seek an opportunity to help other hospitalized children by donating drawing materials. Then, she searched for an organization involved in helping those living with cancer in honor of her father’s own experience with lung cancer. Hospital de Câncer (HCP) is Fabiana’s local oncology hospital in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. HCP is a non-profit that treats its patients for free, making it a leader in its field in Brazil. Finally, once Fabiana decided to do an act supporting HCP, she connected with their volunteer department to coordinate her act.
Inspiring Others
Fabiana assembled 50 drawing kits containing sketchbooks and coloring pencils. Her husband noticed her efforts and decided to help. He donated 50 comic books after being inspired by Fabiana’s act of kindness! Once Fabiana had the kits assembled, she drove to the hospital the day before Children’s Day. She gave the presents to the volunteers collecting donations. They shared that gifts like the drawing kits are valuable to the children in the hospital to keep their spirits up while unable to leave their rooms during treatment. The volunteers sent Fabiana photos of the children with their new kits as a “thank you” for her efforts. Fabiana shared, “After the act I felt really happy for the possibility of putting a smile on the face of a child that’s battling such a scary disease as cancer.”
Want To Help?
Have an idea for an act of kindness of your own? The Regional Representatives can help! Our international team is available to help you apply for funding for an act of kindness of your own. They help answer any questions you may have about Random Acts. Interested in joining our team of volunteers? Check out our vacancies here!