Another week has come and gone, and all week long I noticed the goodness in people around me.

It was many little things that could go unnoticed, but instead, were noticed.

It was efforts to laugh at others' jokes when the jokes weren't very funny, to give gifts when they were unexpected, to give a hand to hold when a hand was needed.

It was a well-dressed businessman standing in the cold winter air, holding a college door open for many young strangers.

It was a beautiful friend reaching out to me, sending an email to let me know she was thinking of me.

It was a caring manager sitting across from me at a meeting table, telling me I can rely on her.

In one week, many little moments like these made me remember why I want to focus on kindness: kindness makes me incredibly happy.

To know that people want to do good is to know that there is hope for more good. And, I need to know that. Don't you?

I've seen enough YouTube videos to equal the length of a few feature films. And, to tell you the truth, I've enjoyed them as much as the films. I like the simple, real, funny and heartfelt quality that comes through in many YouTube videos. Some videos go viral, reaching thousands or millions of people. Imagine the powerful messages that could be conveyed and how far they could reach.

I recently saw a video posted on YouTube by McGill University in Montreal. It's real, funny and heartfelt, but not quite simple. It features scientists, students, lab technicians and volunteers from the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre. Every view of the video results in a donation to the research centre, where the cancer research programs have made significant contributions.
If you would like to help raise funds to support cancer research, you should watch this video.

If you want to be inspired to dance around the room, you should watch this video.

If you secretly wish to be a scientist and Broadway star (at the same time), you should watch this video.

There have been many Web-based videos that raise money based on their view counts. Have you seen any others? What do you think about these videos?

Hello, everyone. Valentine's Day is fast-approaching and I think it would be nice to send someone love through a special e-card (because we're staying with an e-theme here). You probably have certain people you like to give candy hearts, flowers, and sweet messages. Well, you can send an e-card with a special message attached - a message that includes a charitable donation in their honour.

The Canadian Diabetes Association recently tweeted about sending e-cards to help fight diabetes. I think for the right person it's a nice way to let him or her know you care. You can choose an e-card by clicking here. Based on the ecard previews I saw, they look modern and adorable.

The Canadian Diabetes Association helps people with diabetes in many ways, including education and health services and providing access to medical supplies. To find out more, visit www.diabetes.ca. The website features a lot of useful information about diabetes, nutrition and healthy living, so you and the people you love could benefit from taking a few minutes to browse the website.

Information source: www.diabetes.ca

It’s February once again. And, it’s Heart Month in several countries. In Canada, the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s goal for the end of February 2012 is to reach 1 million actions that will “Make Death Wait.” These actions can involve healthy meal planning, walking, running, donating, and volunteering.

The foundation’s website features a count of various efforts that help reach the goal. Among the counted efforts is sharing the foundation’s messages or people’s own stories. So, simply passing on information is acknowledged as significant help. In my opinion, it’s a great step that emphasises the importance of social connections and social media.

To share your story, or to download a Facebook app that allows you to see how heart disease and stroke can affect the people in your social network, click here. After all, it truly is about people.

Many videos are available on the Heart and Stroke Foundation website and YouTube. Here's one of the recent campaign videos:

Of course, I want to mention the volunteers. The Heart and Stroke Foundation has thousands of volunteers who help raise awareness and funds for the goal of reducing heart disease and stroke-related deaths. The foundation’s website currently features a story about a 92-year-old man from Ontario’s Niagara Region who has been volunteering for the Heart and Stroke Foundation for 50 years. To read this action-inspiring story, click here.

When I was searching online for information about Heart Month, I first came across the Twitter account for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Many tweets give useful information that could improve your life. To read or follow the Twitter feed, click here.

This is a small sample of the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s efforts. I hope it has encouraged you to find out more on your own. Maybe you can join in to help reach the goal for Heart Month. What do you think?

Research source: www.heartandstroke.com