Spread Goodness Day FAQ’s with the Founder
Written by: Sam Centerbar
“In early 2017, I had a drink with Brandon from Loyaltees, our T-shirt supplier.
He said, “What’s success to you, Anna?”
I said, Well, I’m shooting for a million, but twenty.
He said, “What are you talking about?”
I said, “Well, if twenty people do it,
that means I Spread Goodness-
That’s twenty more things that happened
because we invited them to…”
It’s five years later, and every year,
We roughly quadruple in engagement.
In 2022, we’re at fifty-thousand plus participants…
-S.G.D. Founder Anna Dravland
SAM: What is Spread Goodness Day?
ANNA: Spread Goodness Day is a day we celebrate goodness. The mission is simple: to empower world change with goodness. Just witnessing acts of goodness produces endorphins, oxytocin, it reduces inflammation… it produces literal, actual, healing.
This year, S.G.D falls on March 11th.
SAM: What are a few of your favorite S.G.D. stories?
ANNA: It’s so hard to pick favorites…
A preschool made five-hundred little goody bags.
And one hundred preschoolers walked around town on Spread Goodness Day and passed out treat bags to kids they found…
In 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic,
Theresa Sell ordered four-hundred flowers and we surprise delivered them to employees and nurses at the hospital.
When you think about it, a flower isn’t a big thing; it’s not expensive, but the look on people’s faces when they got that flower … showed it had a big impact.
SAM: How did Spread Goodness Day Start?
ANNA: It evolved from an overly complicated list of things I wanted it to be- including a non-profit event center- I wanted a big community event center with higher wages, and the profits would go back into the community. Like a revolving door of goodness and good food! But then I thought-
I really wanted everybody to participate, whether they’re poor, whether they’re rich, whether they’re disabled…Whatever your story is, this is about you. You don’t have to come to my event center; wherever you are, is where it’s at!
SAM: What do you say to people who like the concept of doing good deeds but feel uncomfortable sharing it on social media? Or think people sharing good is just a stunt to get positive attention?
ANNA: It’s a normal feeling. But you don’t have to show what YOU did. You could show a picture of the impact. Or not share at all. You don’t have to tell anyone for your goodness to change the world.
But, there’s ways to share without being like, “Look what I did, pat pat pat on my back…” On the other hand, who cares? Who cares if someone wants to brag about something good? I don’t. They just did something good!
“I think we should clap at them
and encourage that behavior.
Whether or not it started out as selfish,
you’re still encouraging something
that has a positive impact on our community.”
SAM: What are some challenges S.G.D. has faced?
ANNA: I suffered a torn carotid artery and massive stroke just two weeks after launching the organization. I’m now disabled and the deficits of my stroke, and other medical issues, have made every single thing harder. Keeping this alive has been a blessing but, a huge challenge as a I navigated my ‘new brain”. I learned to ask for help with the project as I relearned to walk & talk and recovered from being half paralyzed.
Life sure is full of surprises.
Unexpected twist number two:
As you know, Spread Goodness Day falls on the second Friday in March every year, well-
“I marketed the third annual Spread Goodness Day
as “The Goodest Friday the 13th ever.”
March 13th, 2020-
that’s the day, the country shut down
and a national disaster was declared
I was like,
“Well, that was a bad choice of words…”
But you can’t cancel goodness- you just change the way you spread it.
Choosing how to move forward and what’s appropriate during Covid has been one of the biggest challenges (besides having a really bad brain injury).
SAM: What do you say to people who secretly want to join but are scared it’s just too corny?
ANNA: Yeah, sometimes you get the eye roll but…
“It’s like being the first person
out on the dance floor.
Everybody wants to go dance,
but they won’t do it until you do it.
And they won’t do it right when you start.
You have to be dancing by yourself
sometimes for an entire song
before people will come in and say,
‘She’s not crazy. She’s having a good time’.
This is a good idea.”
I didn’t want this movement to be about me or my health challenges. But I’m okay with being the reason people “catch the bug.” I understand it’s impact- it’s scientific as well as AWESOMELY FUN!
And other people can feel the same way I do if they just push past the initial discomfort-Just be unbridled - Just be like a puppy about it!
