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The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting shocked the world and, in the wake of such tragedy, many are looking for ways to help the community of Newtown, Conn. An online campaign called "26 Acts of Kindess" was created not only as a way to give back to Newtown, but also as a way to impact communities around the world.
It all began when NBC's Ann Curry asked herself "What can I do?" after the mass shooting on Friday, Dec. 14. On Sunday, she took to Twitter to contemplate the answer "to help heal us all."
Tens of thousands of people answered the call and thus began the 26 Acts of Kindness campaign to honor the 20 children and six teachers lost in the shooting at Sandy Hook, according to NBC.
A Facebook page has been set up to promote the 26 Acts of Kindness campaign. It already has almost 4,000 "likes."
"Newtown's heartbreak has a lot of us asking, 'What can I do?'" reads the description on the page. "Thinking about this, Ann Curry took to social media and asked people to imagine what would happen if all of us committed to 20 acts of kindness to honor each child lost in Newtown."
The movement focuses on selfless acts of kindness. On Facebook and Twitter, responders have been sharing their good deeds which range from large donations to small gestures. One person released balloons with the names of each of the 26 victims. Another person bought a stranger a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
Fred Rogers, late host of the PBS children's show "Mister Rogers," believed that in the aftermath of tragedies there are always "helpers." In his parenting book, "Mister Rogers Parenting Book," he recalls how his mother always told him to look for those people who try to give back.
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping,'" he wrote. "To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers -- so many caring people in this world."
Check out some of the #26acts good deeds people have shared in the slideshow below.