 You may have noticed people going out of their way this week to perform an act of kindness to a stranger or someone they know. That's because Governor Mark Dayton has proclaimed this week to be Minnesota Acts of Kindness Week. The dedication was inspired by the work of over 40 chapters of the United Way across Minnesota and their supporting partners. The ideas to promote and kick-start continuous acts of kindness in the community. This is the first time that we've all come together with the purpose of an event that touches people and so there are 40 United Ways within the state of Minnesota that are all participating and how fun and how exciting to get to promote and celebrate and encourage kindness. Smith also says there are multiple ways you can promote kindness in the community. Everyone loves the idea of buying coffee for the car behind you in the drive-thru. I love that idea too. That's a great one. You can also, I mean it could be as simple as calling up a loved one that you haven't talked to for a while, checking in on them. Maybe you're going to grab your coworker a coffee on your way into work tomorrow. Maybe you take the time at home to go through last year's winter coats and see if there's any that you can donate to someone in need. All sorts of things and I think you can go as as big or small as you feel like doing. Minnesota Acts of Kindness Week runs through November 11th. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland news, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.