Gives Back to Those Who Need it Most
By Dan Murphy
Far too often, we are all so busy with our everyday lives that we seldom take time out to help others, especially those that need it most – total strangers even more so. We found someone from Westchester who is doing just that, in her own way.
Eastchester native and Marist College student Gabby Ricciardi came up with an idea after watching a music video from rapper Drake titled “God’s Plan.” Gabby, 19, wanted to walk around her Poughkeepsie neighborhood and hand out $1 bills.
“Poughkeepsie is very diverse and historical, it has both the rich and the poor,” she said. “For me, it wasn’t so much about handing out the $1 bills as it was meeting new people, sharing stories, having them feel important, and making their day special just by talking to them and sharing with them a dozen smiles and laughs. Some gifts are big, others are small. It isn’t about the size of the gift, it’s about the size of the heart that the gift comes from.”
Gabby is always trying to come up with new and creative ideas to, as she puts it, change and better the world. “It’s a goal of mine to always make at least someone in my day laugh or smile,” she said. “In a world where everyone seems to be going in all different directions, my friends and I wanted to spread love, kindness and happiness to all, even if they are complete strangers. Seeing someone smile or laugh just because of you, for me, is the best gift of all.”
Gabby went over her ideas with friends and housemates Stephanie Carpiniello from Harrison, and Noelle. Gabby, like most college students, is living on a limited budget, so the $23 left in her bank account would have to do.
“This whole process made me realize even more that it is the little things in life, the smallest amount of money made someone’s day, and just seeing them smile made mine,” she said.
Gabby and her friends recorded their interactions on her iPhone 7 Plus. She called her project “A Dollar and a Conversation,” which was a huge success because Gabby fulfilled her goal of “making people feel so happy and important and to me that is what matters most,” she said. “Making someone smile and laugh is truly one of the best feelings for me. Everyone should spread love always, because at the end of the day love is what we all have.”
Hours after posting the video on her Facebook page, ABC7NY reached out and asked if they could do a segment on it for their afternoon news show. That video link has more than 40,000 views and can be found at abc7ny.com/society/college-student-goes-viral-with-random-acts-of-kindness-video/3160230.
One important part of this process for Gabby was which color jumpsuit, with coordinated shoes, to wear each day. “I laid out all jumpsuits with the respected shoes, the plan was color coded,” she said. “This was an amazing experience, we had so much fun making it, shared a lot of laughs, and I can honestly say I’ve never felt this good.”
Let us say thank you, Gabby, for making the lives of a few people a little better. Perhaps this story can inspire us to follow Gabby’s lead, and in any way we can, to make someone else’s life a little better.
Gabby’s video of “A Dollar and a Conversation” can be found at www.facebook.com/ gabriella.ricciardi.142/posts/ 1934931683394173?pnref=story. Her Facebook name is Gabriella Ricciardi and she can be reached at gabriellaricciardi98@gmail.com.
