Elaine Sofferman of West Chicago had planned to do some shopping in downtown St. Charles Monday morning when suddenly she was handed a flower from a stranger for no apparent reason.
However, there was a reason: St. Charles-based non-profit organization Random Acts Matter is holding its ninth annual Random Acts of Kindness Week in the Tri-Cities of Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles through Sunday, Feb. 22.
“I was just so touched. We were walking over here and wondering what was going on seeing these people in orange jackets, but it was very nice,” Sofferman said of receiving the flower. “Random acts of kindness – it’s a very nice thing and it makes people feel good. I’m beaming.”
The effort in the Tri-Cities is in keeping with the national Random Acts of Kindness Week, an observance that was founded over 30 years ago in 1995 by the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation in an effort to “encourage intentional acts of kindness.”
The local Random Acts Matter group has organized a wave of volunteers for a variety of events this week for its own Random Acts of Kindness program.
West Chicago resident Lisa Weier, president of Random Acts Matter, said along with Monday’s flower giveaway, volunteers are assisting people in senior centers, helping with a food drive and more.
“There have been other charitable organizations that have been reaching out wanting to help us with our mission,” Weier said, also noting the group has “a bunch of new volunteers that have signed up online.”
“It’s been a really great response this time,” she said. “We’ve heard from a lot of people who haven’t been involved in the past. There’s a lot of energy this year.”
One of Monday’s flower giveaways was held outside the Dollar Tree at 3601 E. Main St. in St. Charles and included Weier, Random Acts Matter Vice President Alison Thoms Crooke and Shamberi Smith of St. Charles all armed with orange roses.
A total of 170 roses were being distributed throughout St. Charles Monday in various locations as part of the Random Acts of Kindness effort.
Nancy Geary of St. Charles received an orange rose and was taken back a bit by something she wasn’t expecting.
“I was surprised – you always think what’s the catch – but it’s very nice,” she said. “It really perks you up for the day. It kind of motivates me to buy somebody breakfast this week.”
Robert Fair of St. Charles receives a rose from Lisa Weier, president of the Random Acts Matter group, on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, in St. Charles. The group is holding Random Acts of Kindness Week activities in the Tri-Cities of Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles through Sunday, Feb. 22. (David Sharos/For The Beacon-News)
Robert Fair of St. Charles admitted he was a double winner as he likewise received a rose which he planned to bring home to his wife.
“She’s going to be surprised. She’s going to ask me – what do I want?” Fair predicted. “Even though I’m sort of regifting this she’ll appreciate it.”
Weier, who watched the exchange with Fair, summed up the act with words about the organization.
“That’s the point, we give kindness and then that kindness spreads. There’s a ripple of kindness,” she said.
“That’s true,” Fair added. “You pay it forward.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
