One Arizona woman’s random acts of kindness towards first responders have turned into a widespread movement.
Natalie Reilly, an Arizona native, started her idea for “Nothing But Love Notes” four years ago on Valentine’s Day while her mother was fighting cancer.
“We had a bunch of thank-you notes, threw them on the kitchen table, and she always had an affinity to first responders,” Reilly told KPHO. “We got her in the car, drove around three hours and looked for them.”
Even though Reilly’s mom has passed, the tradition lives on. Reilly delivers love notes to first responders every day, making sure that she has at least some in her purse so she is ready to hand one out to someone in uniform.
“You give them these cards, and they literally break down, and it’s beautiful because I think sometimes the strongest ones need it the most,” said Reilly.
“It seems like Natalie’s notes find people on bad days or just long days, when you’re tired and drained, and it kind of recharges you,” said Sgt. Zachary Astrup with the Buckeye Police Department.
It turns out Reilly actually found love herself through these love notes. She met a retired police officer, who is now her boyfriend, about a year ago while handing out these love notes. As of this year, she has written 20,000 love notes to first responders.
Reilly is hoping that through her efforts she can encourage others to write notes to their first responders.
Reilly is not the first person to start a positivity campaign in her community. A high school senior in Virginia recently started a positivity campaign by posting positive messages throughout his school to foster a kinder environment.