Forgiveness was Doug Griffin’s instinctive response the Sunday morning in 2015 when he learned his daughter Molly was involved in a deadly traffic accident the night before.
“Forgiveness is one of the best things you can do for your soul,” Griffin said. “It’s not one of the easiest thing but it’s definitely the healthiest way to live.”
Molly was a Fresno State nursing alumna and a surgery nurse at Madera Community Hospital who only knew to live through kindness, her father said.
“We just want to keep her legacy alive and what better way to remember someone who was so giving, loving and kind than do an act of kindness in her memory,” Griffin said. “We hope people will reach out to others by demonstrating kindness, which improves the overall fabric of our culture when people are kind to each other.”
Starting last year, the Griffins initiated “Molly Day,” on Aug. 26, which the family hopes will be a day people dedicate to random acts of kindness and then post about on social media using #LiveLikeMolly. After receiving a large amount of support from the surrounding community, Fresno State and others internationally the family decided to expand Molly Day.
This year, the city of Fresno will proclaim Friday as Molly Day. Clovis Community College will be hosting a blood drive through the school day and in the evening Clovis Hills Community Church will be hosting a fair starting at 4 p.m. with a Christian concert starting at 7 p.m. The proceeds from the concert will go to a youth scholarship established by the church to send kids to camps and on trips ”” like the mission trips Molly would go to in Mexico.
“What better way to help build community than to help others?,” he said. “I can’t think of a better way to do that.”