AOK April

I had the opportunity to sit down with Nick Baldwin as he recalled the birth of Acts of Kindness (AOK) and hear about his dedication to serving the needy of Orange County and beyond. About a year and a half ago, the shelter in Santa Ana he often visited and brought food to shut down. For a moment, Nick didn’t know what to do, but he quickly found an alley with plenty of needy people to serve and provide for. It was down that very alley that Nick discovered Dwight’s House, a shelter that is home to approximately 90 women. Every Sunday, Nick and a team from AOK visit Dwight’s House, building relationships with the people there, serving them, and donating food and money – whatever they can give to help their increasing need.

Nick has been serving the homeless of Orange County for the past twenty years, and in January 2005 AOK decided to go full-throttle. “I used to be a Baja off-road racer; I made a lot of Mexican friends,” Nick told me. “A friend of mine who was a teacher asked me to come and help provide for the school. So I went down to check it out.” What Nick saw when he visited the school was hardly a school at all, but dirt floors and bare walls. It was then that Nick realized he had the power to make an impact on this small San Felipe village. The reconstruction of this school was to be his first official act of kindness.

He gathered friends, family, and a wrecking crew; bought toys and teaching materials; and with donations flowing in from friends and sponsors, made three trips to San Felipe over the next six months. In that time, his team had rebuilt and completed their first school. The completion of the school in San Felipe wasn’t the end; it was only the beginning. Since the reconstruction, Nick has committed himself and his charity to rebuilding seven more schools in the Baja area.

The past five years that AOK has been up and running have been years of rapid growth – from serving locally at Dwight’s House, to building schools for children in Mexican villages. This rapid growth has forced AOK to make changes in the way they help others. “It’s become more facilitating and less doing all the work,” Nick said. “So many people are offering their time and service to AOK.” This overflow of AOK volunteers has resulted in turning over certain projects to other groups and redirecting volunteers. For example, AOK’s first project in San Felipe is now under the wing of Full Circle Events Las Vegas, who help to keep the school running and thriving.

Nick told me it’s all about time and dedication. “You don’t need money to donate. That’s not what matters. Donating your time is valuable enough.” Nick is open and grateful to anyone who is willing to join him and his crew in helping serve those who are in need.

Nick Baldwin is an inspiration to us all; his time and dedication to those less fortunate is truly an act of kindness. He has fed the hungry, and given children a better chance at a proper education. He is living his life motto: “You have never truly lived until you have given to someone that can never repay you.”

“You have never truly lived until you have given to someone that can never repay you.” This is the life motto of Nick Baldwin, founder of Acts of Kindness, a charity dedicated to serving the less fortunate. In twenty years, this development-owner-turned-Baja-off-road-racer went from driving his Mercedes full of food to a Santa Ana homeless shelter on holidays, to being a full-time local charity director.

{ BY MARITZA SKIDMORE }

{ PHOTO BY BLYTHE HILL }

www.aoknick.org

P.O. Box 4020 • Mission Viejo, CA 92690

The History of Cooks Corner

The Art of Michael Kalish

Mackey’s Hot Rods

IF YOU LIKE THIS YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...