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Make a World of difference 		Acts of Kindness - a non-profit organization to help those in need
Manifesting a better world through acts of kindness.

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    Acts of Kindness
    PO Box 29182
    Providence, RI 02909


    AOK Sponsors Surfers Healing RI (narrative from Doreen Bullock)
    Having AOK sponsor us enables us to request donations from businesses & large corporations... the larger companies require a 501c3 charitable status, so AOK has been a HUGE help to us.
    For instance, Frito and Pepsi donate food & beverage for the beach - I-Party donates paper goods & raffle items for our pasta dinner - A.C. Moore has donated gift baskets, to name a few.

    What is Surfers Healing RI?
    Surfers Healing is a free surf camp for children with autism (although they do not turn away over 18….last year I think we had someone in their upper 20s surf). Surfers Healing is based in California and they run the camps up and down the East and West coasts. The surfers (from California, Puerto Rico, Hawaii) volunteer their time and the funds we raise pay for travel expense for the surfers, equipment, fees (insurance, beach permits, etc).

    The day camp is free for the children and their families. They get a surf lesson and ride the boards with a surfer holding them. They stay out for about ½ hour each. This year we have about 150 kids registered for the day.

    We also provide food and beverage for all to make it a 100% free day. We are planning to give trophies to all the kids this year too. They will love that!

    How we got the camp to RI:
    My friends took their son to the New Jersey camp 5 yrs ago after seeing it on sports channel news program. The following year they couldn't get into the New Jersey camp and traveled to North Carolina, a bit far for them to travel for the one day camp. In 2008 they were going back to New Jersey and my son, Nick, and I went with them. It was absolutely amazing to see. On the ride home they were saying, "Why can’t we get this to come to Rhode Island, the Ocean State. It would benefit all of New England."

    Contact was made with California Surfers Healing group and a date was set for Rhode Island. Then the fundraising began. We needed to raise $10,000 in 8 months. We ran 3 Bake Sales at the Warwick Mall pulling in about $2500. We had a yard sale, a Spaghetti Dinner (now in its 3rd year -- we call it Surfin’ Supper) and we received a couple of very generous donations and little by little we did it.

    In September, 2009 the first RI camp was held with 60 kids. It was such a success, we knew it would be an annual event so we scheduled more bake Sales and dinners. We entered a contest about Family Volunteering and won a $5000 award for our charity. The Grant money came just in time because due to the floods in March 2010 in Warwick RI, we were unable to hold the scheduled fundraisers.

    But, once again, we did it and in 2010 we had 100 kids surf!


    This years event was supposed to cap at 110 children, but they ended up registering 150. The camp will be on September 17th in Narragansett, Rhode Island.


    What the parents say
    ... it is a wonderful day for all.
    ... carefree day on the beach where everyone there has been touched by autism and everyone there shares the same challenges.
    ...we feel like one big family.
    I read somewhere online that one mother wrote it was a day better than Christmas. It was very touching.


    Acts of Kindness© is a non-profit organization founded in 2002. For more information please email or write to: A.O.K, PO Box 29182, Providence,RI 02909. Web site design and development by Ultra Violet Expressions© and AMIsland.com for Acts of Kindness©, 2011