At VIDA we are all about creating community; one way we do this is through our community contests. They are created to help foster a supportive community, encourage residents to meet each other, and to support our 4 pillars. We want to encourage everyone to be involved in the VIDA community, including residents, Building Ambassadors, and VIDA office employees. For a recent community contest, we decided on a Random Acts of Kindness theme.
This past year has been difficult for many of us and has made it evident that the community we are surrounded and supported by is so important. We thought, what better way to show our appreciation for our communities than to share stories and images of Random Acts of Kindness we have done for others or others have done for us!
What is a random act of kindness?
A random act of kindness is an unexpected gesture of helpfulness to a stranger, friend, family member, or neighbor! In order to enter the contest, individuals emailed their Random Acts of Kindness stories.
VIDA’s Four Pillars
Everything we do at VIDA is guided by our 4 Pillars: Safety & Security, Cleanliness, Community, and Opportunity. Many of the communities random acts of kindness fit right in with our 4 pillars, take a look!
Safety & Security: Your home is your sanctuary, and VIDA enhances building safety and security with things like great lighting, security cameras, FOB access entry, secure mailbox locations, and more.
A BA wrote about two tenants in their building. “There are so many nice things these two do without being asked. They see a problem and they do it. Yesterday they cleaned up tree branches that fell from the storm. Last week they fixed a door hinge that had screws coming out, they bought new screws and fixed it.”
Cleanliness: We are committed to providing residents with a clean building and suite to call home. This includes timely garbage and recycle pickup and sorting guidelines, regular cleaning of common areas, and a live-in Building Ambassador that is always there to field resident feedback.
“I have been picking up garbage around 9 Kennedy for many years now. I do this to help keep the place I live as neat as possible. Proud tenant!!!”
Community: VIDA is constantly finding new ways to strengthen the communities where VIDA residents live and work through programs like our Community Events and Contests. Apartment living means proximity to your neighbors and VIDA's family-friendly units and common area amenities aim to maximize every inch of space at our buildings to provide extra value to residents.
“I don't get out much but I always try to help someone whenever I can. I invited one of my neighbors over for Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday because her husband had to work. I also helped another elderly tenant bring in his load of laundry and bags from his car. I think this contest is a wonderful thing!”
Opportunity: VIDA also loves creating opportunities and celebrating residents making moves in their lives. We have rent incentives for getting a promotion at work, paying off a student loan, re-entering the workforce, and more.
“With COVID lockdown and the schools switching to online classes, the kids in my neighbourhood had nothing to do to keep them busy! With the help of my mother and a couple of other people from other VIDA buildings, we were able to gather supplies and help entertain the kids. It kept the kids busy and out of trouble!”
“Thank you VIDA for giving me the chance to be acknowledged for my acts of kindness, sometimes it is so easy to brush it off. You gave us the opportunity to be recognized”
This contest received more than 100 entries, which is a whole lot of kindness spread throughout our communities! Boy, did the VIDA community deliver some heartwarming stories! Needless to say, our VIDA community is pretty awesome and we hope these stories have inspired you to spread more kindness in your community!