Willie’s Random Acts of Kindness Day honors memory of Greensburg infant
Share this post:
Though William David “Willie” Fennell lived only a few hours after his birth Jan. 6, 2020, his brief life continues to have an impact on others.
His parents, Will and Lindsay Fennell of Greensburg, in conjunction with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region, are inviting people to perform random acts of kindness Friday and then share their photos and stories on the organization’s Facebook page.
This is the third year for Willie’s Random Acts of Kindness Day. The hashtag this year is “Kindness Is Timeless.”
“(The Fennells) are such amazing people, so, when we found out about their loss, we wanted to do something in Willie’s honor,” said BBBSLR Executive Director Stephanie Babich Mihleder. “We asked, ‘Would you be comfortable with that?’ They jumped at the opportunity.”
At the time, the Fennells were serving as Bigs to a brother and sister. They have since stepped back from mentoring to focus on growing Will’s new business and raising their daughter, Farrah, 2.
“The first year, we asked family and friends if they would do a random act of kindness in Willie’s honor,” Lindsay Fennell said. “People started tagging us on social media with their random acts of kindness. It was extremely uplifting and encouraging to us.”
There also was a large response from the wider community, Mihleder said.
The Fennells had T-shirts made with a Kindness Day logo created by a friend, which they gave to family members and friends.
“Other people started asking if they could buy the shirts, and that led to us creating a shirt in the second year to raise money for Big Brothers Big Sisters,” Lindsay Fennell said. “The first year, we sold over 160 shirts and raised over $2,000.
“This year, we sold another 115 and made over $1,500,” she added. “Combined with donations, we’ve raised over $4,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters.”
A random act of kindness can be as simple as buying donuts to share with co-workers, Mihleder said.
Organizers have heard stories of people paying for coffee or a meal for others, donating books to a library, paying the balances on students’ lunch accounts and donating to a favorite nonprofit.
“One story that struck a nerve with me is about a person who had someone in their office who didn’t have a lot of friends and was always sitting alone at lunch,” Will Fennell said. “On Willie’s Random Acts of Kindness Day, she sat with them and got to know them and be a friend.
“That person said they were going through a really hard time, and having someone sit down and talk with them helped pull them out of that dark spot,” he said. “It shows how a small act that doesn’t take any money and doesn’t take all that much time – just reaching out — makes a huge impact.”
For Friday, the Fennells have made homemade soup to deliver to people they know who are in need of a hot meal.
“We do it to keep our son’s memory eternal,” said Will Fennell of Willie, who passed away from unforeseen medical complications. “Even though he’s not here on this earth, he’s still able to make the impact that he would have if he was still living.
“This day is a way to share all the love that he brought to us, as well as all the kindness and generosity and love we received from others, even complete strangers,” he said. “At the time, it really helped us get through that really hard time in our lives.
“We’re trying to repay that a little bit every year.”