No Act of Kindness is Too Small

“No Act of Kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

          When the tornado blew through Nashville in the middle of the night/early morning of March 3rd, 2020 it left with it a path of destruction, unimaginable to any of us who went to sleep Monday night thinking Tuesday would be business as usual. I live about 10 minutes from where most of the damage in Nashville took place and, honestly, slept through it. I woke to tons of text messages from family and friends checking in to make sure we were safe. The news was non-stop that day with live coverage of all the destruction. Having been through a fire to my townhome the first year I lived in Nashville, I remember how good the residents of this city were to me and waited for direction on ways to help those affected by the tornado.

When the call came in for donations of toiletries and cleaning products to help those affected by the tornado, I went to one of my favorite dollar stores, Dollar General (headquartered in Goodlettsville – right outside of Nashville), to grab what I could to help! I filled my basket with as much as I could and donated them to a collection site in North Nashville, Lee Chapel AME Church.

I was able to get back to Lee Chapel AME Church with several other ladies from the Junior League of Nashville that Friday to sort toiletries, blankets, etc. It was amazing to see so many Nashvillians, who at the drop a dime, came out asking “What can I do?”, “What do you need” and “show me where you need me to help!” #NashvilleStrong

The Nashville Food Project – I was already schedule to volunteer at the Nashville Food Project the Saturday following the tornado, but the need was a bit more urgent after the storm. My Hubby and a couple wonderful Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority sisters were there as well and we prepped for 1,000 additional meals (in addition to the meals for their regular meal recipients) to support tornado relief.

I don’t think I’ve ever cracked so many eggs in all my life lol! I’m sure that French Toast Casserole was delicious!

    I couldn’t restore the power to those without it like the NES crews did. Handling a chain-saw to cut down trees isn’t in my skill set either, but I did what I could to help those who needed it the most during such a trying time. Let us all remember that at any given time No act of kindness is ever too small.

               Dr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a Nashville Business Journal 2020 Women of Influence Award Recipient, Nashville Emerging Leader (NELA) Award Winner, a Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient, is a Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter, Young Leaders Council (YLC) Leadership Institute and is a Nashville Power Moves Award Winner. She is a Podiatrist and Owner of The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center, PC in the Nashville area. She is a Reiki Master, a Law of Attraction Practitioner, and an advocate for the power of positive thinking! Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Leadership & Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals and is the creator of the “Design Your Story” Women’s Empowerment Series.