Sometimes, acts of kindness can be...um...random. For example, maybe you see a mother struggling to keep her young children happy while they stand in line at the grocery store, so you let them go in front of you at the checkout. Or maybe, you won a few bucks on the lottery and decided to buy the person in line behind you at Starbucks their coffee. See what we mean? 

Well, Ryan Garcia has taken the idea of random acts of kindness to a whole new level! It started as a New Year's Resolution; to perform a random (and sometimes not so random) act of kindness everyday in 2012 in honor of his new born daughter Isla. Garcia's acts were both big and small and he partnered with some great folks along the way.  Well, sit down and relax a bit and enjoy learning how one Ryan's random acts of kindness brought him to partner with our Ryan's favorite charity for a nationwide kindness & 22q awareness campaign.

The inspiration for his new project is based on Garcia's 366th, and final act of 2012:  "My whole year was inspired by my daughter" said Garcia.  "Seeing her face while she played around on the ground one year ago gave me the idea because I knew I had to change the world around her in a positive way.  Day 366 will be my future child.  For my final random act of kindness, my wife and I will begin the process of adopting a sister or brother for Isla.

As Garcia tells it: "We began looking into the process of what to do, where to adopt, etc. when, in March, we were forced to put it on the back burner.  That is because we were excited to find out that we were pregnant with our second child.  We were beyond excited by the news, and although we have to hold off on the adoption for now, it will happen when the time is right.  Well, about 20 weeks into the pregnancy at our routine ultrasound, the doctors discovered that our baby had a heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot that would require open heart surgery soon after birth.  As if that wasn't enough, we were told that the heart condition was due to our baby having a genetic disorder called 22q.11.2 Deletion Syndrome (aka DiGeorge Syndrome or VCFS.)  We were surprised to find out that 22q is actually the second most common genetic disorder behind Down's Syndrome, affecting 1 in every 2000-4000 births.  Needless to say, we were shocked and kind of scared by the news.  However, after a few days weeks of freaking out, Googling, freaking out more and researching the heck out of 22q, we decided to focus our energy on all of the positives that can come from the news.  We weren't going to let a diagnosis bring us down.  No.  We were going to do everything possible in order to raise awareness for 22q and make the world around our son (oh yeah, forgot to mention, IT'S A BOY!!) a better place like we did for our daughter last year.

One of the first websites I came across while researching 22q was The Dempster Family Foundation.  The Foundation has made amazing strides in both raising awareness for 22q, providing grants for organizations that help enrich the lives of those with 22q, and providing a sense of community for individuals and families impacted by 22q.  I am super proud and excited to be partnering with The DFF on my nationwide kindness journey.  Although I will be shining a light on different groups and individuals throughout the country, the overriding theme of State of Kind will be to shine a light on the 22q community to do whatever I can to improve the life of my son and many others. "

Make sure to follow Garcia's blog: www.366randomacts.org and get inspired!  You can perform your own act of kindness by geting involved to helping him complete one of his acts!  Or maybe you have a suggestion for an act in one of our countries' 50 states. Who knows, maybe you'll be starting your own daily acts of kindess campaign!   Thanks, Ryan for inviting us to join you while introducing 22q to the country!