Bench
A Denver man saw too many people standing at bus stops. So
he built them a bench | CBC Radio
James Warren lives in Denver, USA. Earlier this year he saw someone
waiting for a bus; there was no where for them to sit so they were sitting on
the floor in dirt. James does not have a car and uses buses to travel around Denver
and he had noticed that there was a lack of seating at most of the bus stops.
James decided he would build benches for bus stops where
there was no seating. He uses old timber thrown out by builders that is going
to scrap. So far, he has built 8 benches and on each one he writes the words,
“Be kind”.
How does James decide where to put a bench? He puts them in
places where he sees people struggling. He says he sometimes sees people with
large grocery bags waiting at stops and says, “It just makes me realise oh,
man, this person’s life would be way better if I put a bench there.”
About the “Be Kind” message, James says, “It’s a good
message. It’s a message anyone can do. Spread a little more kindness in the
world and be a little kinder to your neighbour and just try to be a little more
thoughtful of the needs of others.”
Lots of people have offered to help James, including people
with trucks who have offered to take the benches further afield. People have
also offered to donate wood and money, but James has turned them down, saying
he gets all his wood for free.
James says one of his favourite things is passing a place
where he put a bench and seeing people sitting on it.
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Why do you think many bus stops don’t have
seats?
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What do you think motivates James to make free
benches?
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What impact is James having on his community?
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Why does he write Be kind on the seat? Why
doesn’t he write, “Have a seat” instead?
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“Spread a little more kindness in the world and
be a little kinder to your neighbour,” how can we do that?
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