26 Random Acts of Kindness

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I am seeing postings on Facebook of someone performing 26 random acts of kindness for the shooting victims of Newtown, Connecticut.  It was very emotional to see the news coverage following the tragedy.  What can I do?  I can do 26 random acts of kindness.  I have to find an act I am willing to perform.

This is what I am thinking...

About once a year the news reports on people who have left money in a bank account, left goods in safety deposit box, never picked up their last paycheck, have a mailed insurance claim check that was Returned to Sender, etc.  This ends up in the State's Treasurer's Office.  The State Treasures Office tries to find the owners by publishing their names in the newspaper once a year.  If they do not respond, the State auctions off the goods and keeps the cash/money.  How hard do they try to get the assets back to their owner?  Maybe I can do something in this area.

First

The web site www.missingmoney.com lists many states unclaimed assets.  Anyone with access to a computer can go to this web site and look up their name, names of relatives, friends, neighbors, old classmates, whomever. If their name and town is correct, you can assume they are unaware a valuable or money is waiting for them.

I decided to look for missing assets of people who had the last names of people who had positive impact on my life.  The last names of childhood teachers, long-lost friends, and coworkers was where I started.  If I found anyone who I am currently in contact with, I sent them a quick email and that did not count towards the 26 random acts of kindness.

Sheepishly, I admit I found my name on the list.  Over 19 years ago I signed my son up for Upromise (money towards college based on how much gasoline I charged on a credit card).  After contacting the State Treasurer and filling out a form to prove who I am, I got a check for $15.41.  What a nice surprise!  So it works.  It could work for you!

Second

This offering of mine won't work unless I find someone unaware that the state is trying to find them.  The next web site I use is www.switchboard.com.  This is like an on-line phone book.  Choose the tab Find a Person.  Fill in the fields; its that easy.

I searched on a first initial "J" and the last name "Cahill".  My old friend's name does not come up in Philadelphia, but I do find several John Cahills peppered around the country.  On my terminal I, Print-Screen and Paste it into Paint.  I cut the www.missingmoney.com page that shows six John Cahills and Paste that onto a blank Word document that I have a three-cell table.

This is what the blank page looks like (before):

Third

Now I start narrowing down my search in www.missingmoney.com.  The site provides a small piece of information about value.  The value of the the item is "Over $100", "Under $100" and other assorted categories.  The criteria I am looking for is "Over $100".  What if I find the right person, they contact the State Treasure and the check is for $5.00?  That's not the end result I am looking for.  So I aim higher.

My search through www.switchboard.com also narrows, but this criteria is to geography.  I am trying to match up a John Cahill in Maine to the three John Cahills that www.missingmoney.com found.  What happened to the original John Cahill?  Did he die?   Did he move?  Is the John Cahill I find in www.switchboard.com the exact John Cahill or is it his son or cousin?  Could they have possibly been friends?

Fourth

I pull it all together by printing the three-cell table on 8.5 x 11 paper and hand-writing a short note (see below).  A hand-written note is more believable than a printed/photocopied note.  The page is folded in three using no envelope and addressed to the name found in www.switchboard.com.  Using red ink I write next to the address, "Address Correction Requested".  If John Cahill did move or die, the envelope will be forwarded along to John or his next of kin.

The 26 acts of kindness are complete, in fact, I mailed out 32 because four came back "Return to Sender".

Somebody is reading these, and MAYBE someone is getting their missing money; simple kindness.