New Dad's Goal: Full Year of Kind Acts

When Ryan Garcia and his wife welcomed their new baby into the world last year, Ryan got inspired to begin what the Dayton Daily News calls "a kindness revolution." He resolved for the entire year of 2012 to perform a random act of kindness every day. “I decided I wanted to do something that would inspire her in the future," said the new dad. "I wanted to be a better person."

And so Ryan launched his year of altruism. Examples: “I tracked down my sixth-grade teacher, Mr. Plecas, and wrote him a letter thanking him for being my favorite teacher ever." He also sent a condolence letter to a family who lost their son in the Afghanistan war. In one day, he complimented 25 strangers, and on another day he stood on the corner doling out free hugs. Yesterday, he took firefighters to lunch. You can keep track of his random feats at his blog, 366randomacts.org. (He's up to day 39).