If you happen to be strolling through Ann Arbor minding your own
business, be on the lookout — good will is on the prowl.
Members of Do Random Acts of Kindness, a service-oriented campus
organization, may ambush you with balloons, candy, hot chocolate,
nice notes and a general random assortment of kindness.

“It feels so good to brighten someone’s day,”
said Stephanie LaGrasso, co-director of the group. Asking for
nothing in return and often remaining completely anonymous, the
group is responsible for numerous acts of kindness occurring both
on and off campus. Just this semester, DoRAK members say they have
spent an estimated 500 hours “RAKing.”

“We gave cookies to people at the blood drive. Last year
we RAKed the dancers at Dance Marathon with back massagers, candy
and gum,” said LaGrasso, an Education junior.

Last winter, the group passed out hot chocolate on the Diag.
This year’s football game against Purdue was RAKed with
noise-makers.

On Sunday, DoRAK’s target was the Meijer store on Ann
Arbor Saline Road. RAKers assisted employees in bagging groceries,
while customers found random nice notes in carts, among other RAKs,
leaving most recipients scratching their heads and smiling
simultaneously.

But while the group has come far, its origins were humble. DoRAK
was born in the fall of 2001 as a committee within Circle K,
another University service organization. Now an independent
organization that boasts 84 members, DoRAK is making its mark on
campus and beyond.

The group never expected to become as large as it is, said LSA
senior Anne Kellogg, who is also one of the founders of the group.
“We were practicing for our first mass meeting, expecting
three people to show up. Sixty-five did.”

Both of the group’s directors admit they would not be
surprised if other RAK clubs appeared around the country. In
Colorado, a Random Acts of Kindness Foundation performs tasks
similar to the campus group, but on a much larger scale.

The foundation’s website boasts worldwide chapters and
allows users to post inspirational quotes and stories.
“Random acts of kindness has brought meaning into my life,
and I am committed to spread the word,” wrote Carol, a Hawaii
state parent facilitator.

Like the foundation’s members, DoRAK is more a way of life
than an extra-curricular activity. “Once you realize how easy
this is, you start doing it all the time,” said Kellogg, also
adding that she plans to take this philosophy past the University
by incorporating it into her daily life after she graduates.

Circle K President Payal Patel, LSA senior, is impressed with
DoRAK’s progress thus far.

“That’s a really cool thing DoRAK did. It’s
great for Circle K, because a lot of these groups sprouted from us,
and our mission is to develop in people a commitment to
service,” said Patel, who is also a captain in DoRAK.
“If they can, we encourage people to go out and do their own
thing.”

Both directors said they are hoping to cause a ripple effect
with their work, in which one RAK spawns another and the good will
spreads. Measuring their successes in smiles rather than money or
votes, DoRAK members are generating quite a response from people
they have affected. In one of the grateful letters DoRAK received
so far, a Michigan alum wrote, “Finding parking on campus is
hard! I really appreciated coming from my seminar at the Business
School to find that I indeed did not have a ticket on my car
— thanks for feeding my meter!”

Asked if the commitment to DoRAK is exhausting LaGrasse said,
“No, the group is well-organized and has more people now than
it used to.” She added, “It’s worth it.
It’s fun.”

Putting into perspective just how addictive anonymous random
kindness can be, Kellogg said, “I do DoRAK before
homework.”