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“No act of kindness is ever wasted,” said Keeley Coombs, an LU senior in Interdisciplinary Studies who recently received media attention for completing 21 Acts of Kindness on her 21st birthday.

A Nederland native, Coombs has a long history of charity and volunteer work. So, it’s no surprise that she chose to celebrate her birthday by focusing on others.

She says she believes even a simple act of kindness can go far and her past work has included visiting residents at nursing homes, organizing pet food drives for pets after hurricanes, volunteering with autistic children, and serving with church leadership teams.

“I have always found joy in serving and giving. My mom taught me the joy of giving at a very young age, and it has continued to influence many decisions I make in life,” she says.

Deciding that her birthday project would serve all spectrums within her community, she spread her efforts from the nursing home residents that she has served before, to hospitalized and special needs children, even strangers whom she happened to run across.

“I would say, to anyone interested in doing similar service projects, that kindness is free. If you just want to be a helping hand or give a compliment, that is an act of kindness… it is important to remember that kindness is contagious. Being kind does not require a monetary value. It just has to come from your heart. Ponder on this for a moment - what if every person in the world decided to do at least one random act of kindness daily?”

Coombs says she definitely sees herself performing random acts of kindness for all of her future birthdays.