The Butterfly Effect

The butterfly effect is this idea that a single butterfly flapping its wings on one side of the globe can, in theory, start a hurricane on the other. It’s a physics concept, but Chris Rosati wondered if it could be applied to kindness as well.

“An act of kindness, how far could it go?” He wondered. he decided to test the theory at a diner in his hometown of Durham, North Carolina. He saw two girls at the table next to his and gave them each $50 with one very simple instruction — do something kind.

Anna Cameron and her sister Cate spent their money to spread kindness in Africa.

Rosati says he left the diner and forgot all about it until he got an email. It included pictures from a village in Africa with people holding signs that read, “Thanks a lot for spreading kindness.” “It was the butterfly effect,” said Rosati.

The two girls responsible were 13-year-old Cate Cameron and her 10-year-old sister Anna. They said they couldn’t believe it when a stranger gave them each $50 dollars.”That makes you want to do something good with that money,” said Anna.

The girls say they already knew about this village in Sierra Leone where their dad had worked in the Peace Corps. They knew the people there had been working hard to fight Ebola, so the girls paid for a feast to help them celebrate being Ebola-free. They say it felt great to help!

4GGL thanks Sunday Morning for this story! 

Also, THANKS  Chris Rosati and his campaign: Little BIGG 

Little BIGG grant campaign invites students across the country in grades K-12 to submit a short video telling how you would use $50 to make an impact. If you are selected, you will receive funding to carry out your idea. Apply here >