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Cedarburg woman does 45 acts of kindness for her 45th birthday

Posted at 8:14 PM, May 04, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-04 21:14:07-04

CEDARBURG — Rather than getting presents for her 45th birthday, a Cedarburg woman is committed to doing 45 acts of kindness instead.

Each week 44-year-old Shannon Schultz does one act of kindness and posts it on her blog, Kindness Countdown.

"There's just always people who need more," Schultz said.

She is nearing the end of her journey. Her birthday is in June, and she is on week 38 of 45.

Schultz has a done a lot of different kinds of good deeds. Recently many of them have been to help healthcare workers and other front-line fighters of the coronavirus. She has donated personal protective equipment, food, and care packages to neighbors.

In the winter, she dug out fire hydrants so firefighters could find them more easily.

"My kids and I loaded up the van with some shovels, and we went around two and just dug out as many fire hydrants as we could."

The list goes on and on. She has done 37 good deeds so far. Her message is that anyone can do something kind for someone else. Good deeds come in different forms. In fact, once Schultz took in a lame chicken, meaning it couldn't lay eggs anymore, from a chicken farmer. However, it can also be as simple as donating blood.

Shannon Schultz said she likes donating grocery store gift cards to people. "And we'll buy gift cards and just randomly go hand them out to people who I see have really full carts or kids shopping with them."

"Holding doors open for people and smiling and complimenting on shoes or shirt, all those things can really change somebody's day," she said.

What's more, this isn't the first time she has done this weekly good deed challenge. As a 39-year-old she did 40 acts of kindness for her 40th birthday.

"I just don’t know really any other way to be," she said.

Schultz plans on doing this again.

"I'll probably do it (at) 50 or 52. I'm not sure which one yet. A whole year would be cool."

You can follow her journey at Kindness Countdown.

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