Million Acts of Kindness stops in Edmonton and meets a life size Beaver?

Edmonton was a special stop on the Million Acts of Kindness tour because Charmaine had spent 10 years living just outside of the city in Sherwood Park. 

We had spent the better part of 4 days in the city, and enjoyed a well deserved couple of days off. I had the luxury of staying at the Matrix Hotel, located in the heart of downtown Edmonton. The hotel itself was quite beautifully decorated, having a modern and upscale design. The rooms were absolutely beautiful, contemporary styled and convenient, as they had multiple easily accessible plugs for laptops and cell phone chargers. It was very obvious that this hotel had been made with business people in mind. I also enjoyed the scenic view of the city from my 15th story window! 

Charmaine, Chris and Toby stopped by a few Petland Canada stores to say hello and meet their awesome teams!

The next few days of our trip were quite busy, as Charmaine had the opportunity to provide presentations to several organizations, including McMann Family Services and the Holistic Chamber of Commerce in Edmonton. We really enjoyed working with these groups, as they both share the same values as we do and sharing the importance of kindness! 

Team Toby presented at the Boys and Girls Club of Edmonton, where Toby got to meet over 20 children and teach them important values of compassion and kindness. The children loved the presentation as they cheered when Toby crashed into a pile of buckets trying to find the hidden treat labelled as ‘kindness’. 

All of the students in the two groups each committed to do an act of kindness in the next 24 hours, their commitment and pledge to making the world a better place through kindness.

 We would love for YOU to join our kindness challenge, one act of kindness for ten days (the 10 day challenge). Then, go onto our website link and upload your acts of kindness to inspire others: 

 http://charmainehammond.com/

Read some of the acts of kindness here: http://charmainehammond.com/kindness-matters/

Thanks to Petland Canada and the generous amount of funds raised by their guests, each child was able to walk home with a copy of Toby’s book in hand. 

Want to support the Million Acts of Kindness? For less than a cup of coffee you can put a kindness book in a child's hands. Visit our kindness fundraising page and if it resonates, we welcome you to give. Your act of kindness will make a big difference! 

And of course a big shout out to all the amazing businesses and people who have made this tour possible. 

Today's blogpost written by Julie Angeletti, Team Toby

Million Acts of Kindness Tour Movie Night in the Park....in the rain...

Red Deer Alberta was a highly anticipated tour stop, as we had much excitement and engagement from locals and the community. We were also excited to stay at the Microtel Inn and Suites because they had hosted Charmaine, Chris and Toby originally on the Paws Across Canada tour in Lloydminster.  A great hotel with friendly customer service as you can see.

The hotel itself is newly built, very modern and clean. They are the perfect place to stay with your pet, as it is located right next door to a beautiful memorial park where you can walk your dog. Toby had an awesome time stretching his legs in the park and jumping in the lake!

We had to get Toby dried off and cleaned up because we had a big event to attend that night… Red Deer movie in the park night! With the help of Petland Canada, and collaboration from the City of Red Deer and Green Deer, we were able to host a family, dog-friendly movie in the park at Bower Ponds. The film screened was Home, a tale about an outcast alien, who teams up with a lost girl on a mission to find her mom. The theme of the film coordinated perfectly with our kindness mission, as the lesson learned from the story is not to be so quick to judge others, and to always treat each other kindly. The City of Red Deer and Green Deer were also present at the event, and helped spread our message of kindness through their community clean-up programs and opportunities to volunteer. 

Let me just take a moment to commend Red Deer and the people that live here. About an hour before the movie was set to start, big, dark rain clouds started looming over what was supposed to be a bright and beautiful day. But it soon became very clear that a few rain clouds weren’t going to stop this party! Despite the lack of cooperation from the weather, everyone stayed to enjoy the movie, and eventually the clouds parted and we were able to enjoy the rest of the night. For Team Toby and Petland Canada’s first movie in the park night, we are glad to report that it was a huge success! 

Red Deer Child Magazine provided us with print copies of their magazine for everyone who attended. 


Big Appreciation to our tour sponsors, partners and champions! Your support is helping us make a kinder world one paw one person at a time!

Julie Angeletti, Team Toby Event Coordinator

Ps... what's on your 2016 Bucket List for Travel?  Our partners Canadian Traveller Magazine would love to know.