Random Acts is raising funds for grassroots COVID relief efforts. (You can donate here, but that’s not the purpose of this item.) Go here and nominate an organization in your community that is doing good work to receive support. Submit a screenshot of your nomination to us.
A lot of LGBTQ+ people are sheltering-in-place with people who don’t accept them as they are, which makes an already difficult situation even more isolating. Show them that though they are physically isolated right now, they are not alone: post a photo of yourself holding up a sign with a message of support which also includes contact numbers to organizations for support in case they need help. Submit the photo with a link to your social media post tagged #LGBeTogether and #GISH.
I recently wrote a letter of thanks to a guy named Jim, who helped me quite a bit when I was young man, sharing his time and knowledge with me. I posted about it on social media, and we’ve since reconnected. Write a letter of gratitude to someone in your past who shaped your present for the better or made you who you are in a positive way, then share it with them if you can and post it publicly (if you’re comfortable) tagged #LettersOfGratitude. Send us a pic of your letter and a link to your post.
Time for the annual Howl at the Zoom. 8 PM PT! Be there. Join the Head Wolf & Misha Collins for a howling good time! Then submit a video of your global howl- or if you missed it, send us your best lone wolf howl.
You’ve heard of pen pals… what about video pals? A lot of people in nursing homes and retirement homes are feeling isolated and scared right now. Most residential care facilities have very strict isolation in place. No visitors allowed, not leaving the premises, etc. Coordinate remotely with a local retirement home or elder care home and play a game of “show and tell” with a random nursing home resident to find at least 3 things you have in common.
Toilet paper is getting scarce, and so are a lot of animals on the planet. Create a sculpture of an endangered species from empty toilet-tissue tubes(s) and/or paper towel tubes.
Feed local first responders (Fire/EMS/Police), healthcare professionals (including doctors, nurses, vet offices, respiratory therapists, orderlies), or essential workers on the job by arranging delivery of meals from a local business to your local heroes. Get the delivery worker to conspire with you by snapping a pic posed with your recipients, and post it online tagged #FeedHeroNurses, #GISH, and @RandomActsOrg.
You’ve heard of the “Brady Bunch”… what about the Ballot Bunch? Get 8 of your US-citizen friends to join you in a “Brady Bunch”-style grid pose with you holding up your downloaded mail-in ballots or proof that you requested them, if your state doesn’t allow instant downloads. Post it online tagged #TheBallotBunch & #GISH telling your friends to do it, too. (And that’s the way we became the Civically-Engaged Bunch!)
Find a senior citizen (a relative or a stranger) living in a residential care facility for a child to interview via videoconference or telephone with at least 5 of the following questions, as well as any other questions the child wants to add. Then, the child must draw a picture based on the interview and share it with them. Send us a video showing the child interviewing the person and the drawing.
QUESTIONS:
- Where is your favorite place in the world that you have visited?
- What is your favorite color?
- What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
- What is your favorite game or sport?
- What are your kids’ names if you have any?
- If you had one food to bring to a desert island, what would it be?
- If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?
- If you could be any age right now, what would it be and why?
- If you could tell the President one thing, what would it be?
- When you were a kid, what job or type of chores did you want to have?
- Tell me about a time someone did something kind for you: what was it? how did it make you feel?
- What was it like living through a war compared to living through this pandemic?
- Did you ever get in trouble as a kid, if so what did you do and what was the punishment?
- What was the happiest time period in your life?
- Who was your best friend when you were growing up? What would you do together?
- What were some of your favorite hobbies -when you were younger and now?
Each morning and evening there are thousands of essential workers driving down streets like yours going to and from jobs that keep us fed and healthy. Let’s give them a show of support: thank essential workers with a message of art and appreciation towards them on your windows. Post your image to social media tagged #ThankYouEssentialWorkers and #GISH.