By Kelsey Durham
A handful of lucky restaurant-goers have become the first recipients of a simple act of kindness that one Bayside man is hoping will brighten the day of people all over Queens.
Abraam Awad, a lifelong Bayside resident, recently started his Smiles4Joy campaign, visiting eateries around the neighborhood, like Dunkin’ Donuts or a local deli, and picking up the check for people he randomly selects. He describes his program as being a “pay it forward concept” that he said he hopes will inspire people to do something nice for someone else to keep the ball rolling.
Awad said he is no stranger to giving and has enjoyed helping out with several organizations since he was a child. He volunteers as an EMT out of Fort Totten, spends time at local soup kitchens every holiday and also volunteers for various church groups.
But he said the idea for Smiles4Joy came to him after watching a documentary that had a similar concept.
“I saw this movie called ‘Craigslist Joe’ where this guy went around the U.S. going on Craigslist for everything, even a place to sleep,” Awad said. “That really inspired me to do something.”
The willingness to help that was expressed by the people in the film left a lasting effect on Awad, so he decided he wanted to do the same for people in his hometown. Starting on Super Bowl Sunday, he began going around Bayside and paying for food orders for others, no matter how large, in hopes of simply putting a smile on their face and improving their day by even the slightest bit.
“Especially in the New York area, the economy really collapsed and everyone is tight on money and I thought perhaps I could make a change in Bayside,” Awad said. “Maybe I could make an outcome on their day.”
Since that Sunday, Awad has completed his good deed a couple times each week, he said, and is hoping to increase the frequency as he continues. He said some people were skeptical at first when he approached them with his offer, and a few thought it was a scam, but other than asking people to pay it forward, he requests only one thing from those he offers to help out.
“People ask me what the catch is, but I want nothing in return except for you to smile and take a picture with me for my blog,” Awad said.
Despite being a full-time student who works just part-time, all the money Awad uses to pay the checks comes out of his pocket. He said he is hoping to save enough money to eventually be able to pick up a tab once a day, but he said he will not be setting up any kind of donation program to help him do so.
“I don’t want to do that because I don’t want people to think I’m just trying to solicit money,” he said. “All I care about is making a difference in their lives. It’s just the euphoric feeling I get ever since I was a kid when I have the pleasure of helping people.”
Awad has set up a website, smiles4joy.com, where he documents his gestures and posts photos of himself with the smiling recipients so the community can follow along with his journey. He said he plans to keep his concept going for as long as possible and hopes that, at the very least, he can make an impact on even one person.
“The feeling I get from smiles, it’s beyond words and it’s worth every penny,” he said, “but the most important thing is that I’m just trying to spread the awareness of being happy. Life’s too short.”
Reach reporter Kelsey Durham at 718-260-4573 or by e-mail at kdurham@cnglocal.com.
