Good Deed Day is coming up on Oct 8th (10am-3pm in Williams Hall)! This event is held by 90 Psychology Departments across the US, celebrating kindness!
Ninety participating international psychology departments are encouraging their students to perform one small good deed on October 8th -- something they wouldn't normally do. With a motto of Ut Prosim, “that I may serve” VT is geared up to spread kindness! Example deeds include holding a door for a stranger, sending a thank you or get well card to someone they know, buying coffee or lunch for a stranger, or volunteering for a charity. **This day we will be collecting donations for the Campus Market all day; we have more demand than our donation supply right now. We will also be taking donations for our graduate student “Hokie Helping Hand” emergency fund** While we might think of good deeds as something we do purely for others, it turns out that being kind has a positive impact on "givers". Research shows that doing kind things for others can have lasting effects on anxiety and depression-related symptoms, in a good way. Thus, being kind isn't just a nice thing to do, it's a legitimate way of boosting your overall mental wellness.
"We're extremely excited about this event and pleased that there has been so much energy surrounding this effort across the psychology community", says Dr. Dougherty (Chair, UMD) the creator of the idea for the day. Don't let the name fool you. While we want people to make an extra effort on Oct 8th, we're hope that doing good become a habit, so that everyday is Good Deed Day!
If you want to learn more about the positive benefits of being kind and how you can get involved, check out the Good Deed Website.
Good Deed Day Williams Hall
Schedule 10am-3pm:
ALL DAY: Center for Applied Behavioral Science- kindness education
ALL DAY: Donations for Campus Market
ALL DAY: Kindness Tree and Global Tracker
ALL DAY: Meet Psych’s first-gen faculty, spin, grin, and win! (Professor and Chair Jamie Edgin, Professional Advisor Courtney Glass, and Lecturer Ross Rogers)
10-11am Hokie Bird Hugs
12-2 Mac and Cheese Cookoff to benefit “Hokie Helping Hands” fund (5 dollar admission, online donation)
12ish: Therapy Dogs