26-year-old Luke Cameron has performed a good deed every day for an entire year, and he says that the exercise has completely transformed his life. The Cheltenham resident made the vow when a close friend died from cancer last year, and since then, he has been doing at least one nice thing every single day. He estimates that he has spent close to £3,000 ($4,700) on good deeds in the past year.
“In a world of taking selfies with your besties and Instagramming pictures of your new handbag and Rolex watch, we forget to think about anyone else but ourselves,” he said. “Our generation has forgotten to care about others, because we are too self-obsessed to even care what others are going through.”
Luke runs a website called TheGoodDeedDiary.com, on which he documents every single good deed or kind gesture – ranging from taking the trash out for his elderly neighbor, or baking cakes for his family and friends. He has also purchased meals for several people at McDonald’s, and even paid for a stranger’s petrol just because they stood next to him in the line. Luke now has over 12,000 followers on his corresponding Facebook page, and more than 6,000 followers on Twitter.
Surprisingly, as popular as Luke is online, he also has his share of haters. “I think it’s a great idea, but why the need to tell the world about it,” one Twitter user questioned.
“I seriously doubt you’re this generous away from camera lens, cause then of course nobody can give you the attention you so blatantly crave,” another user commented on YouTube.
“The majority of people love it,” Luke said in response. “I have my haters, but that’s a given reality. I try not to dwell too much on other people’s opinions. Most people to begin with didn’t understand why I was doing what I was doing and became very reserved about me helping them. Scepticism was rife among my monetary good deeds and some people questioned my motives and others thought I wanted something in return.”
But Luke continued his unique practice of good deeds, inspired by Maura – a good family friend who passed away in October 2013. “Maura was like a mother to me,” he said. “She was hands-down the most incredible and inspirational woman I will ever meet. When a neighbor needed food, she gave her last potato. When a friend needed money, she gave her last pound. She gave her whole life selflessly helping others around her and at her funeral over 4,000 people queued up for three hours to pay their respects.”
So last December, Luke made a resolution for the new year – starting January 1 he would kickstart his ‘365 daily good deeds’ project. He started off small – on New Year Day he greeted the waitress serving him at a café and the next day, he bought food and drinks for a few homeless people. Later, he handed over some spare change to a lady who didn’t have enough coins for the parking meter.
And what goes around comes around – Luke is now reaping the benefits of a whole year of being kind. He entered a competition run by Utility Aid, for the job of ‘National Philanthropy Manager’ or ‘The Nicest Job in Britain’, and eventually won. The organisers were convinced that he is the right man for the job, so in 2015, he will be paid to travel all over the UK and assist 45 different charities.
Considering how great the challenge has been for him, Luke has decided to extend it for another year. “I think I have helped myself by helping others,” he said. “It really changes your perspective when you help people. You become so much more grateful for what you have.”
“I did this purely to help people as a social experiment,” he added. “I wanted to see how helping others for a year can really help yourself. I’ve gone from working part time in a shop to now the national philanthropy manager where I am making my life’s work about helping others and I’ve raised thousands for charity.”
Photos: The Good Deeds Diary/Facebook
via Daily Mail
