KITCHENER -- If you were near St. Mary's or Grand River hospitals on Tuesday night, chances are you might have spotted an unusual group dressed as inflatable dinosaurs, unicorns and sharks walking down the street.
But don't be alarmed about an impending inflatable animal takeover – a community group called Act of Kindness is behind the motley crew.
"I think what got us most is the double-takes, people pulling out their cameras, the questions," said the group's founder, Shenna Merling.
Merling created Act of Kindness in May 2020 to give back to the community.
This week, in a bid to cheer up a friend who was at the hospital for surgery earlier in the week, Merling rounded up volunteers to dress up in inflatable animal costumes and wave at her friend from outside on Tuesday night.
But by the time they arrived, Merling's friend had already been discharged.
"We figured why not continue it, so we started and walked around St. Mary's," she said.
The group marched on to Grand River Hospital where they caught the attention of an ER nurse on break.
"She stopped us dead in our tracks and said that the children inside the ER were emotional and could use a smile," Merling explained, adding the group proceeded to wave at the kids through the windows.
On Thursday afternoon, the team suited up once again for the Centerville-Chicopee Market.
"You don't see a t-rex or a unicorn or a shark walking down the street every day," said Kirstan Howells, facilitator at the Centerville-Chicopee Community Centre. "I think it just pulls you out of your day-to-day rut and brings that little bit of joy."
Merling says the Act of Kindness crew plan on expanding their operation throughout Waterloo Region, spreading joy one inflatable costume at a time.
"Going out and making people smile pretty much changes their day," said volunteer Nicole King. "Going out in a costume you wouldn't believe the reaction of people and how much it actually changes their mood."
