Two women, one mission: find the good in the world
SOUTH BEND, Ind. –
Two complete strangers who are both on a quest to find the good in the world joined forces Tuesday.
Both have been working towards spreading kindness and hope after losing a loved one.
South Bend nurse Aleah Lacopo has been working towards that mission since March 14, 2018. That’s the day she lost her uncle unexpectedly.
“We were very close. He was more like an older brother to me,” said Lacopo. “His mantra to us was always to do the loving thing.”
Now that phrase is the name of the group Lacopo created with her sister on Facebook.
“Mainly people are on there to share stories, poems videos that you see that are circulated through Facebook that connect with random acts of kindness,” she said.
She described the group as a way to “bring people together connected by kindness.”
“I’ve met a lot of really neat people because of it,” she said.
Now, that includes Mary Latham, a woman who Lacopo first saw on Facebook doing a Tedx Talk. Lacopo says she felt compelled to reach out to Latham because of how closely their missions aligned.
“I’m going to all these cities and states but I’m not seeing Notre Dame or the major landmarks,” said Latham. “I’m really just in people’s homes the entire time.”
Latham arrived at Lacopo’s home Tuesday afternoon. It’s her first stop in Indiana for her 50 state road trip that she started last year.
Latham is on a mission to find more good in the world. That’s something her mom challenged her to look for before she passed away from cancer. After her mother passed away, Latham decided to take that nugget of wisdom and take off across the country looking for the good stories happening.
She’s doing the whole trip in her mom’s car. Indiana is the 41st state she’s visited.
“I just want to make people feel better and let them know that there are so many great people out there doing really awesome stuff,” said Latham. “I wanted to create a book of hope.”
And all the stories she finds will ultimately go into a book that will be donated to hospital waiting rooms for the people who have to sit there next. She’s doing it because she knows how discouraging that waiting room can be.
“There’s not a lot of positive things in those waiting rooms,” said Latham.
Her mission is one that Lacopo can’t support enough.
“It’s just such an amazing thing that she’s doing,” said Lacopo, saying she’s honored to be a part of it. She’s opened her home to Latham during her stop in South Bend, which will only be until Thursday.
“Aleah to me and a lot of the homes, it’s like you want to be in these homes because they really get what you’re doing and they really understand it and they just give you this really good energy and you need it because you’re tired a lot,” said Latham.
And for Lacopo it’s exciting to finally meet a woman she calls a “kindred spirit in the kindness movement.”
“There’s so much good in the world, and we just don’t hear about it a lot. It’s out there,” said Lacopo. “And I hope groups like this and what Mary is doing make it a more common thing that we talk about more.”
To learn more about the reason behind Latham’s road trip or to donate to her cause, click here.
Or click here to be a part of Lacopo’s Facebook group called “Do the loving thing.” She hopes to one day turn the group into a nonprofit.