Golden Valley Woman Spreads Joy with Monthly One Good Deed Mission
We could all use a little more kindness these days, especially from trying to weather a global pandemic. It’s why Michelle Christensen is determined to spread joy one good deed at a time.
The Golden Valley resident founded One Good Deed, a community service group that commits to doing at least one good act a month.
“We’re creating ripples of kindness,” said Christensen.
Her first project was in 2016 when she made four Little Free Libraries. That tradition continues today, only on a much larger scale.
“This is our July good deed every year,” she said.
Christensen says this the group’s third year of doing of Little Free Libraries. She says the group is up to 65.
Volunteers painted dozens of Little Free Libraries on July 11 as part of the One Good Deed group.
Recently she gathered 20 families together and painted dozens of Little Free Libraries. All the supplies are donated and stored in her Golden Valley garage. It was a family-friendly event. People spent hours making sure their Little Free Libraries stood out.
“One was going to be a Snoopy doghouse. One has the Girl Scouts troop number. One has a Pride flag on it,” described Christensen.
Christensen says the Little Free Library project is more than crafting. It’s also about making connections and building community.
The group also painted kindness rocks with uplifting messages. One Good Deed has several other yearly caring campaigns too. Every winter, volunteers “scarf-bomb,” donating cold-weather gear on trees at parks in Minneapolis and St. Paul to help the homeless.
The group makes mats out of recycled plastic and yarn. They provide a little comfort for people forced to live outdoors and prevent people from sitting on cold concrete.
One Good Deed has one primary purpose: to encourage people to be kind and spread joy.
“It takes one person or a group to start a ripple that turns into a wave, and eventually, hopefully, progressing out into an even bigger wave,” said Christensen. “It doesn’t take a ton of effort to make someone smile.
