The Citizen, 2017-11-30, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2017.
Hesselwood, Bokhout honoured with acts of kindness
Living on
Blake Hesselwood, left, and John Bokhout, right, perished
in an Alberta house fire in 2011, but since then their families
and friends have been keeping their memories alive by
creating Random Act of Kindness Day on Nov. 15, the day
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Last week social media was awash
in stories of random acts of kindness
being accomplished in the names of
Blake Hesselwood and John
Bokhout.
Luann Taylor, Hesselwood's
mother, said she began the initiative
five years ago. The hope was that the
effort put forth would turn a sad day
into a happy one for numerous
people throughout Huron County
and beyond.
Hesselwood and Bokhout, life -
Letter to the Editor
Seaforth blood drive
scheduled for Dec. 4
THE EDITOR,
I would like to extend an
invitation to come to the blood
donor clinic that is happening on
Monday, Dec. 4 from 3-8 p.m.
Every year at this time we ask for
everyone to donate in honour of
Mackenzie Fisher. This was a
request from Mackenzie and his
family to help keep the need of
cancer patients who rely on those
donations for their very health in the
front of our memory. The Christmas
season gets very busy for some and
we can think of other things to do
that day but for many who rely on
those very important donations, it is
so important that you donate.
Our goal is that you come for an
hour and visit while you go through
the system, see friends that you
haven't seen for a while, eat some
cookies and have a drink of juice or
pop and you could potentially save
four people's lives.
You can book by calling 1-888-
2Donate (1-888-236-6283). Like
most things there's an app for that.
You can download it from blood.ca
or book an appointment on-line
there also.
Our goal is 93 donations; we have
in the past surpassed that goal but
not often enough. I'd like to think
that we can do that in the giving
spirit of Christmas.
Nancy Denham,
Volunteer Co-ordinator for
Seaforth.
the young men died. Luann Taylor, Blake's mother, started the ball
rolling five years ago and since then it has continued to grow and
spread across the country, all in the name of two special Blyth
men who loved to make people smile. (Fite photos)
long friends, perished in a house fire
in Alberta on Nov. 15, 2011. They
were 22 at the time and had moved
to Alberta to work for Rockwell
Drilling Oil Services six months
earlier.
"It started five years ago on the
anniversary of the boys' passing. We
wanted to do something to honour
their memory," Taylor said. "Two
days before that anniversary, it came
to me and I thought they would have
gotten a kick out of it."
Taylor said that she thought
randomly putting a smile on
someone's face would be the perfect
way to honour two young men who
had done that for so many people for
their whole lives.
Like so many initiatives these
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days, this one began on Facebook.
Taylor said she posted on Facebook,
encouraging her friends and family
members to do something kind for
someone they didn't know on Nov.
15 and it has only grown from there.
It began at Luann's flower shop,
which is now located in Goderich.
Over the years she has distributed
flowers to people on the street or
even given people two flowers
each — one for the person and a
second to be given to someone else.
She also said that she and her
husband Ken Hesselwood would
often pay for random tabs at local
coffee shops as well. They would
drop some money at a shop and
encourage those who benefitted to
"pay it forward".
This year, reports came from all
corners of the county that people
received a rose or a free coffee, all in
the name of Hesselwood and
Bokhout.
One random act of kindness that
Taylor said has stayed with her over
the years was courtesy of a family
member who lives in British
Columbia. The person was eating at
a restaurant and left a larger -than -
normal tip to the waiter when they
paid their cheque.
The gesture would make a
difference in the server's life, as she
was attempting to help her son buy
outdoor clothing for a new job and
the tip allowed her to pay the
remaining cost and get the clothes
out of layaway.
Being able to do things like that in
the name of Blake or John, Taylor
said, is incredible.
Babies of the Year 2017
Join the gallery of new faces in The Citizen's
baby photo display January 18, 2018
Email a jpeg of your little one born in 2017 along with a writeup
which includes full name, birth date and parents' names and then
call us, stop in or mail a cheque to prepay.
ONLY $20.00 (must be prepaid)
- Sample -
Matthew Robert
Smith
May 18
son of
Mike & Laura Smith
Please Complete
Baby's Full Name
Son Daughter
Birth Date
Parents' Names
$20.00 Enclosed
DEADLINE - January 8
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