A very small ripple can create a tidal wave of kindness.

Even if the date varies many places recognize February 17 as National Act of Kindness Day. While some people buy coffee for a person in the drive thru, some may shovel snow, others offer up baked goods, an act of kindness can start with a simple smile.

Cochrane is known as a community with heart, one that even with rapid growth has a small town feel with neighbours helping neighbours.

Community member, Kari Murphy, says when you offer up an act of kindness it is more beneficial to give than receive.

"When you do something randomly for someone else, it is remembered because it is not expected. It feels good, and when we feel good we are more likely to lift each other than tear each other down. It's infectious."

Doing something kind for someone can completely alter someone's day, as Murphy points out, you never know what someone else is going through. Murphy lost her son Lamont tragically in summer of 2015, and she has made it her mission to ripple kindness forward as Lamont was known for his genuine kindness.

"My son was known for being kind. I open my messenger at least once a week and find an note from someone I don't know or I've never met face to face but their words are just so encouraging. For a stranger to take the time to go out of their way to want to lift a stranger up, it makes me feel so good that both mine and my son's life is rippling forward."

Spreading kindness any day of the year costs absolutely nothing, and it can start with one person. 

"It is different when you do something for someone that is expected, or when it's your job, or when your getting paid for it...you can feel that difference. Even a small ripple can have an effect."