Stellar Volunteer Award
Debb Ritchie
Random Act of Kindness Day – Founder. Also: United Way of Kitchener Waterloo and Area, Rick Hansen Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Outstanding Women of Laurier, UW Tech Park Golf Tournament…
Inspiration struck Debb Ritchie after a stranger’s random act of kindness — and after viewing a Kevin Spacey film.
“I went to a meeting and I was parked in a parking lot to get a ticket stub, and while I was sitting there a fellow came forward and asked if I was going to be there for a while,” said Ritchie. “His meeting got cancelled and he had just paid for parking.” The anonymous stranger handed over his ticket and Ritchie, after finishing her own meeting, passed the favour on to the next stranger who came in the parking lot.
Paying it forward is a familiar concept thanks to the film of the same name (Ritchie watched it a few weeks after her run-in at the parking lot). Ritchie, who works in marketing, knew there was a way of turning this concept into an event that would get everyone else paying it forward.
Random Act of Kindness day is the result of Ritchie’s organizing efforts. Each fall, on a certain day, you’re encouraged to do something kind for a friend, neighbour or random stranger. You also get a card that you pass forward, on-and-on for who knows how long as people keep doing nice things for each other. “[Cards circulate] quite a bit,” said Ritchie. “We’ve had cards sent back to us from different locations around the world: British Columbia, California, Florida and even Ireland.”
Ritchie’s volunteer experience is much too extensive to list here. Suffice it to say, she’s had a long and storied volunteer history — it’s even put her in some well-heeled circles. “I had the opportunity to meet the Queen [of England] 11 years ago,” Ritchie laughed. For her, volunteering is a way for her to see creative and innovative ideas come to life and improve the community. “I’m always coming up with different things to do.”
As for Random Acts of Kindness, there is one thing she won’t be doing anymore: giving out her parking ticket stub. “I actually found out it’s illegal [to do that],” Ritchie laughed.
