They’re Back

Ever since their first appearance in Chestermere in September 2014, every month following, the mystery group behind the random acts of kindness initiative have been surprising and exciting residents of Chestermere. But in January they were noticeably missing and after a bit of investigating, it was announced that they would be returning in February.
It all began with an anonymous email that popped up in my inbox at exactly noon on February 9th advising me to leave my schedule open as they would be striking again in Chestermere on Thursday Feb 12th. Then a secret message sent via Twitter arrived on Wednesday the 11th of a photo of these beautifully decorated boxes where it was asked that the picture be shared on Facebook to get Chestermere on the lookout for where these boxes would appear on the 12th.
And just like always, a buzz of excitement began. For those that have been following this mystery group of happiness – they knew all too well that what was coming would be nothing short of awesome. For those that were not in the know – once they heard of the amazing things this group had treated Chestermere to over the past few months – they quickly joined in the fun!
So as Thursday morning rolled around, everyone was wondering what was in the boxes? Where did they get delivered? And as promised, as the morning rolled on, all was announced.
In the early morning hours, just as Parvin and Al Rasul were preparing to open up the Waiting Room Café, they noticed a man get into a vehicle and pull away from their store. When they went to the glass door and took a peak outside, there was a beautifully decorated box with balloons and some information from Hundreds & Thousands.
A couple hours later, a mysterious Tweet came my direction letting me know that the second box would be delivered around 9:45am to Malek’s Men’s Hair Styling & Barber. Sure enough… at around 9:35am as Hoda El Birani was preparing to open the shop, she too saw a man drop the box (identical to the one that the Waiting Room Café received a few hours earlier) on the sidewalk outside her shop, got in his vehicle and drove away. No words were spoken, the man was no one she recognized – so the mystery continues.
Now, what was in these boxes you ask? Both locations received $500 each to thank their customers with free drinks and haircuts. “We want to recognize awesome business owners in Chestermere”, said Hundreds & Thousands.
“What a day! Unbelievable! We were fortunate to be a part of the ‘Hundreds and thousands’ act of kindness with free coffee and any specialty drinks from kids to adults all day long for all out customers. When you give to your community, you get back. In the eight months we have been in business, it is our community and customers that are holding our hands and nudging us forward” said Al from Waiting Room Café. Parvin, Al’s wife and co-owner of the café, had tears in her eyes and said, “What goes around comes around.”
Malek and Hoda El Birani, owners of Malek’s Men’s Hair Styling & Barber, said “We are completely amazed and honoured for being chosen. To all our clients, it’s because of you were are so successful. Thank you thank you thank you. To the person(s) behind all of this, you are amazing and big hearted. What a way to bring a community together. Thank you!”
“When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.” –The 14th Dalai Lama