In December of 2006, Duvall experienced a devastating windstorm. Countless trees came down and there were powerlines strewn all over. Most of Duvall was without power for 10 days and Puget Sound Energy worked around the clock to restore power as quickly as possible. Our little town looked like a war zone. SO many people lost power that it was impossible to get a generator, they were sold out everywhere. Countless residents left town to seek shelter where there was power in Redmond and other surrounding towns. Only a few of our local businesses were able to get generators, so many of them lost thousands of dollars in perishables and in sales, right before Christmas.
Each year my family looked forward to the beautiful holiday lights that line downtown Duvall during the holidays. After the storm, Main Street was completely dark. All I could think about were the business owners and all the sales they were losing by not being open, and the families that those businesses supported.
I really wanted to do something to help. My kids wanted to do something too. They decided to make a sign to thank the hardworking PSE workers. We bought them donuts and put-up handmade signs that said, “Thank you PSE workers!” Coincidentally, the day after we put up the signs, our power came back on and my kids said, “Mom, look, our sign worked!” They were so happy!
The day after the power came back on, I got the mail and saw an article in our local paper about the Random Acts of Kindness Club at Cedarcrest High School, run by Peggy Filer. I thought, wow, I wish there had been a Kindness Club when I was in high school! I was bullied a lot by a couple of girls in Junior High and High School. It would have been helpful to have a Kindness Club to attend, during those difficult times in my life.
After I read that article, I got the idea to start a community kindness organization, to bring our community together to support each other and our local businesses. I did not know anyone at city hall but picked up the phone and asked if they liked the idea of having a local kindness week. They absolutely loved the idea and the mayor proclaimed that one week out of the year, be dedicated to spreading kindness in our community. That was the beginning of Duvall Random Acts of Kindness Week!
During RAK Week, there are daily suggestions posted on social media and on fliers in our local businesses. For the very first Duvall Random Acts of Kindness Week, I wanted a way for the businesses and the community to come together so, I suggested the community get out and support local restaurants and called it Dine Out in Duvall. I reached out to local restaurants and discovered, at that time, Wednesday nights were the slowest night of the week for restaurants. During the first RAK week, at the beginning of 2007, Dine Out in Duvall on Wednesday night was a huge success! On Wednesday night, our local restaurants were filled with customers! It was so amazing to see our community gather and support one another and our local restaurants. Since that first RAK week, suggestions are posted regularly to Shop and Dine Local and Dine Out in Duvall via social media.
Duvall Random of Kindness is not just a one week, once a year, celebration. It is a movement that continues throughout the year. Thousands of roses have been randomly handed to unsuspecting recipients and countless free coffees have warmly arrived in the hands of grateful recipients. Each year a specific week is set aside to remind the community to come together and support local businesses and each other. It is a week specifically dedicated to reminding people to conscientiously spread kindness in our community. The actual week chosen has changed from year to year. In recent years, it has coincided with the Duvall Rotary Club Hearts and Light Up Duvall. It’s a beautiful time of year in the Duvall community! ❤ In November of 2024, after 18 years, Duvall Random Acts of Kindness became a non-profit! There are numerous kindness projects slated for 2025 and beyond!
