Our volunteers also took many of our non-driving care receivers to visit their loved ones in the hospital or nursing homes. Other acts of kindness include assistance with grocery shopping, prescription pick-up, trips to hair-care appointments and attorneys’ offices.We didn’t stop there. Innumerable minor home repairs were made and several hundred grab bars were installed to prevent falls. Almost a hundred wheelchair ramps were built and installed, making it easier and safer for our wheelchair bound care receivers to enter and exit their homes.

Without Kindness volunteers, none of this would have been possible. We don’t know how many of life’s stories were shared between the volunteers and care receivers, but the end result was some relief from the social isolation that aging and living alone can bring. Some of those stories can be viewed on this website by clicking here.

People from many churches, civic groups and businesses partner with Kindness in many ways to help make what we do possible. They not only donate money; some donate goods and services.  When we find someone with extraordinary needs, they come through for us. Some lend their facilities for our fundraising and other events or they run their own on our behalf.  Some invite us to speak at their meetings; others come to ours and help us find ways to sustain Kiindness and improve delivery of services.

We are now working to expand our service areas in Baxter and Marion Counties. We want and need input from the residents and community leaders of Bull Shoals, Gassville, Cotter, Yellville, Summit, Peel, Oakland, Promise Land, Clarkridge, Gamaliel, Henderson and Norfork. We need to let the residents of these communities know we are here for them when they need services.  In order to do that, we must also find volunteers who live in these areas to provide services.

On November 12th we celebrated ten years of volunteer opportunities that have made a world of difference in the lives of people who have age-related, chronic and low-vision problems -- and in the lives of more than 1,000 volunteer caregivers. Kindness, Inc. is very grateful to its volunteers and many supporters and community partners who have worked diligently and lovingly over the years to bring us to this joyful celebration of neighbor helping neighbor.

The Rev. Max Pyron and a crew of helpers from First Baptist Church in Mountain Home provided a meal fit for royalty in the FBC Fireside Room to help Kindness, Inc. celebrate and honor its compassionate, loving volunteers and the donors who made it possible for our non-profit to reach the tenth anniversary of its beginning.  After dinner, we unveiled for the first time one of several videos made for Kindness, Inc. by Ron Wells of New Quest Faith.
 
An award was presented in absentia to Ron Wells for his excellent work on behalf of Kindness. The award was mailed to him at his home in Lexington, SC. Ron is the designer of this website and also produced a variety of videos for us for use in our volunteer orientation and fundraising programs.

The 2007 Spirit of Excellence Award was presented to Mary Anelli. Bob Clark, the Kindness Board President, presented each with a pen made by him of wood from the Holy Land.  

Volunteers with more than 100 hours of service this year are...
Doyle Linck, Elaine Zimny, Mary Anelli, Barbara Weatherby, Barbara Weingart, Mike Kuenzli, Carolyn Jennings, Bob Clark, Larry Gobble, Jan & Larry Turnbough. We and our carereceivers are very grateful for your generosity of time and effort; you are inspirations to all of us!