Despite going through a horrific tragedy, Richard Specht found a way to create something beautiful out of his terrible loss. Something that is changing the world and making it a better place.
Specht’s 22-month-old son Rees died after he asked a friend to look after him.
The child ended up wandering outside and drowned in a backyard pond. To make matters worse, Hurricane Sandy hit his Long Island town two days later leaving him without power for about two weeks.
The Spechts vowed to bring kindness to the world in honor of their son’s short life and created The ReesSpecht Life Foundation. It’s a nonprofit organization that seeks to spread kindness and compassion in the world.
They offer high school scholarships, educational programs, and pass out “Pay It Forward” cards to fulfill their mission.
“We may have lost our little boy, but 470,000 people (and counting) received something in return: Kindness. We are proud to say that we have kept our promise to our little Rees,” the Spechts wrote in a Facebook post. The world knows his name and it’s synonymous with the very kindness that shined a light in our darkest hour.”
The Spechts realized just how profound an impact their organization was having when they learned that one of Specht’s former students left a waitress a $3,000 tip in honor of their Pay It Forward project.
One night he received an anonymous email from a woman who sent him a copy of her receipt.
The receipt showed a restaurant credit card receipt for $43.50 with a $3,000 tip. The hefty gratuity came with a nice note and with a few requests.
Here’s what the note said:
“Thank you for your kindness and humility. My teacher in middle school had such a difficult experience a few years ago which has sparked me to do this. My only requirements are:
1) Go to ReesSpechtLife.com and learn!
2) Don’t let “Pay it forward” end with you.
3) Since it’s about the idea and not about you, or me, if you decide to share this, don’t use either of our names!
Thank you for being around for all of my shows on and off Broadway. I hope that someday someone gives as much love and happiness into the world as you do.
Much love,
M”
Specht realized that the note came from a student he had almost 10 years ago.
“This young man used to come up to my room to talk with me and I remember many of our conversations that we had over the course of that year. Sadly, as with most of my students, I never really had a chance to talk to him again after he left my classroom and moved on to the 9th grade.” he wrote in a blot post.
“To think that someone I had a decade ago would honor my little boy or even remember his 8th-grade science teacher in such a way blows me away.”
After all the Specht’s have gone through, it’s nice knowing they get to create a legacy for their son.
“I get messages all the time now about the acts of kindness people perform, and whether big or small, they all generate the same feeling of true happiness in my soul,” Specht said. “Every act of kindness we hear about brings a smile to my face as I know, in some small way, my little boy’s spirit helped inspire it.”
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