Corporal Andrew Williams performs random acts of kindness

CORPORAL ANDREW Williams is aiming to bridge the gap between the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and citizens through random acts of kindness.

Once a month, Williams travels to different parishes and rewards one lucky shopper by paying for their groceries in full or part. He also gifts baskets to those he observes performing acts of kindness. His mission is simple: inspire hope through kindness.

“We are trying to cause a ripple effect, we are trying to get our generation to come to value kindness, to see that human in everybody. If we are going to say ‘Out of many, one people’ then we are going to have to start treating each other as individuals that value kindness as well,” Williams told The Gleaner.

POSITIVE INITIATIVE

The police officer created the Positive Initiative in 2012, but what started as a way for him to spend his free time has become something much bigger.

In 2015, he rewarded students who passed the Grade Six Achievement Test, now Primary Exit Profile, in the community of Cooreville Gardens.

Since then, Williams has held retreats for the less fortunate, gifted do-gooders with baskets of goodies, given back to children’s homes and done random acts of kindness for the people on the street, all from his monthly salary.

Williams said all he asks in return is that the recipient of the good deed passes it on and is kind to someone else. According to him, his single act of kindness may be able to change the mindset of many Jamaicans. Additionally, the young father says his kindness also comes from his trying to pave the way for his two-year-old daughter.

“I am driven to continue the Positive Initiative to create a world that Aliyah Williams will be proud of. I need to write a script so when my child says, ‘Daddy, what did you in your lifetime?’ I can say, ‘Princess, I was kind’. She’s my biggest motivation,” shared Williams.

So far, his Act of Random Kindness tour has brought him to St Mary, Manchester, Kingston, St Elizabeth, Clarendon, and St Catherine.

COVID-19 DELAY

With a few more parishes to go, the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and resulting social-distancing guidelines and curfews have postponed Williams’ tour, but not his acts of kindness.

“What we will be doing during this period, we will still be doing some care packages, at least 10 care packages for some elderly persons to assist with grocery,” shared Williams.

While focusing on what may be done today, the police personnel is also looking towards the future and hoping to continue to use kindness to impact those he encounters.

Williams says he hopes his Positive Initiative will not just grow in Jamaica, but expand to overseas as well. But according to him, for kindness to first become an islandwide thing in Jamaica, but first, we must teach students to value it in schools.

“I understand that, as a citizen, kindness is not something that is taught to you. I think kindness is a part of your state of mind. I am hoping that, as a part of the curriculum in some of these schools, we can start talking about kindness, we can teach students to value kindness,” shared Williams.

To learn more about the Positive Initiative, visit @PositiveInitiative.Jm on Facebook or call (876) 520-5115. Have a good story you’d like to share? Email us at goodheart@gleanerjm.com.

danae.hyman@gleanerjm.com