Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Her best birthday ever!

In July, 2013, Hillary Sadlon turned 22. The Seton Hall University senior nursing major wanted it to be her best birthday ever, really unforgettable. So instead of planning a massive party, she spent six months creating a list of 22 random acts of kindness she'd perform on a two-day, five-city, ten-hour goodwill tour with her boyfriend Evan Reed and BFF Meghan Cox. Here's her list.


First, she donated blood at the Miller-Keystone Blood Center in Bethlehem, PA. As a nursing major, she knew how badly blood was needed. Later she delivered donuts to a local police station, and brought balloons to special needs children. She donated pet food and rabbit bedding to an animal shelter. Then she and her boyfriend approached an elderly couple in a Walmart parking lot and offered to load their groceries into their car. They were so grateful. "They just kept telling me, 'May the Lord bless you,'" she said, "and they asked for a picture of me and Evan." When the list was almost finished, she visited her grandmother. "I love my nana," Hillary said. "She's my everything. To do something for her was really meaningful for me. Whenever I come, she's like, 'how long are you staying? Can I feed you?'"  This time Hillary declined any food, and only stayed long enough to weed nana's front yard.

When the tour was complete, "we were in the best mood you could ever imagine," she said. "And that's what I wanted for my birthday. Your birthday is supposed to be a happy day. Making someone else smile makes you want to smile." She hopes her birthday will inspire others to make kindness lists.

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