Leon Logothetis's Blog, page 25
November 10, 2011
The Kindness Cab on SantaFeNewMexican.com
British TV star's Kindness Cab journey across U.S. delayed in Santa Fe
Robert Nott | The New Mexican
Posted: Wednesday, November 09, 2011
British TV celebrity Leon Logothetis is driving his Kindness Cab across the U.S. to raise money for schools. -
Neither faulty petrol nor flat tires nor a raging snowstorm in Raton Pass could stop The Kindness Cab from reaching its goal.
Still, a dead battery not only slowed its cross-country journey when it hit Santa Fe late Tuesday but put the kibosh on any chance for Santa Feans to get a free ride in the cab.
British television celebrity and author Leon Logothetis is the cabbie for The London Sterling Taxi from New York City to Los Angeles on a roughly one-month journey to spread kindness, offer free rides and raise money for schools to buy books.
Logothetis left Times Square on Oct. 24. He was scheduled to reach Santa Fe on Wednesday for a 12-hour shift of ferrying Santa Feans around the city for free. But a freezing snowstorm near Trinidad, Colo., left the car's battery frozen, Logothetis said as his friend Kenneth Schulz of Santa Fe — the cab's original owner — went to work on the battery Tuesday night.
"I think he didn't know what he was getting into," Schulz said. "The car is a symbol for kindness, but he wasn't thinking about the mechanics of it all as he traveled cross-country in a vintage car."
This particular taxi was built in 1985, Schulz said. It's part of the series FX 4 produced in England between the late 1950s and the late 1990s. Schulz said his father bought the cab in Florida and it was in his family for 22 years. But Schulz rarely used the vehicle once he moved to Santa Fe seven years ago, so he decided to sell it to Logothetis a little more than a month ago. Logothetis had it shipped to New York to start his journey there.
Logothetis — who recalls with delight the experience of chatting up real London cabbies about football, pubs and life in general — bought the vehicle with an eye toward spreading kindness around the U.S.
Santa Fean Kenneth Schulz works on Leon Logothetis' Kindness Cab on Wednesday at his home. Schulz originally owned the 1985 cab. He eventually sold it to Logothetis, who is currently embarking on cross-country goodwill trip. Jane Phillips/The New Mexican -
"It's about the concept of connecting, the concept of giving something to someone," Logothetis said.
He runs a meter, but passengers in stopover cities — which have included Washington, D.C., St. Louis and Denver — don't pay. Instead, Logothetis applies the amount on the meter toward a running total, which he will donate in the form of book vouchers to a dozen schools. His goal is to give away at least $6,000 to schools using proceeds from his recently published memoir.
"I educated myself through reading," Logothetis said. "I know how inspiring a book can be, and how it can change a life."
Logothetis changed his life some years back, after he spent five years working as a broker in his father's firm. He didn't like spending his days behind a "slab of desk."
As he relates in his memoir, The Amazing Adventures of a Nobody, he suddenly became inspired to take a personal journey to connect with others after seeing the Spanish film The Motorcycle Diaries. That movie was based on Argentine Marxist leader Ché Guevara's memoir of driving across South America on motorcycle in the early 1950s.
About five years ago, Logothetis undertook a journey across America on foot, on $5 a day, relying on the kindness of strangers. This time he is retracing that original route (which included Santa Fe) by cab, filming, blogging and recording along the way.
Bad gas afflicted the auto outside D.C. St. Louis brought tire trouble. During the snowstorm between Trinidad and Raton, not only did the battery freeze but the windshield wipers gave out.
But this Englishman found he could provide his share of acts of kindness, driving an inebriated veteran who needed medical help to a veterans hospital in D.C. and picking up a 96-year-old grandmother in Denver to take her for an ice cream and lottery ticket (she won $5).
He's driving to Las Vegas, Nev., this weekend, and then on to Los Angeles, where he will contribute another $5,000 raised on the trip via a virtual (online) meter to a homeless organization there next week.
Educators and parents interested in applying for the free books ($6,000 will be divided into 12 $500 awards) can visit http://classwish.org/freebooks. The deadline is Monday.
Life in The Kindness Cab
Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can. - Danny Kaye
The beauty of The Kindness Cab is I never really know what's around the corner. One moment I am picking up a veteran suffering from liver cancer and driving him to The VA hospital. The next moment I am driving around hungry kids and treating them to an ice cream. Then I find myself driving through a snow storm with the cab flailing and the window wipers failing.
More on that little adventure later…
Today I spent the day in Denver, Colorado and was blessed to pick up the oldest person in The Kindness Cab so far. Dorothy was 96 years old and her smile and zest for life were infectious. It was a blessing to have this 'young' lady in the back seat. She brought along her great grandson Noah, her daughter Linda and her son Ian.
We all drove to the local store and The Kindness Cab purchased Noah an ice cream. I also bought Dorothy a lottery scratch card. She ended up winning $5. Her smile grew a little bit wider…
Having Dorothy in the cab was beautiful. It was most definitely one of the highlights of the journey so far. Her enthusiasm and simple appreciation for life was magical. Thank you for brightening my day.
As the last passenger left the cab and the day drew to a close I made a mad dash for Santa Fe. Storm clouds were brewing, The Kindness Cab had yet to experience snow. Soon that would all change.
As I drove the snow kept coming. And coming. At one point I was driving through the night and the engine started to freeze up. The windscreen wipers stopped. The visibility was practically zero. The snow kept coming. The kindness Cab was being battered. It didn't look good. Fear showed itself on my face and in my heart.
Fortunately I managed to limp into a motel and parked the Cab. I don't know how long I am going to be stuck in Trinidad, Colorado. But one thing I do know is that The Kindness Cab will not give up. The Kindness Cab will never give up. Ever.
Kindness is still coming.
Schedule of Kindness Cab pit stops can be found at: www.kindnesscab.com, additionally use #thekindnesscab on Twitter to reach me there.
November 7, 2011
Are you free?
There is only one success—to be able to spend your life in your own way. -Christopher Morley
Today was an extraordinary day. It all started at the iconic Gateway Arch in downtown St Louis and ended with the start of an epic 850-mile journey to Denver in The Kindness Cab. The extraordinary parts of the day were the happenings in between. Especially what happened at De La Salle Middle School.
I was invited by a teacher to talk to some of the kids. De La Salle is a special place. The school is geared towards helping severely underprivileged children. De La Salle gives them hope where there was none.
As I was giving my speech I focused on the two main areas that have shaped my life: The importance of self-belief and finding the courage to live fully.
I recounted the story of working behind a slab of wood (my desk…) and how I felt trapped in a world created for me by others. I recounted how through the help of goodhearted people (angels) and the inspiration of a few, I found my way out of the emotional bleakness.
I recounted how we could all find freedom. Inner freedom.
I wanted the kids to see that anything was possible in their lives. Anything. I wanted the kids to see that they were the gatekeepers of their own dreams. I wanted the kids to see.
As I finished, the questions began.
One of them hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks. A young girl, no older than 12, asked me; Are you free? These three words struck right into the center of my soul. The last ten years of my life came together in that moment. As I stood in that room, with The Kindness Cab outside, and hungry souls eager to learn inside, I realized, irrevocably, that I was free.
I was free to be whom I had always dreamt of being. I was free to be myself. I was free to live my dreams. My slab of wood was no more.
Wisdom comes in all shapes and sizes. On this day wisdom came from a young girl at De La Salle Middle School in St Louis. Maybe we should all ask ourselves that simple question.
Are you free? I wonder.
Schedule of Kindness Cab pit stops can be found at: www.kindnesscab.com , additionally use #thekindnesscab on Twitter to reach me there.
The Kindness Cab on BBC America
British Cabbie Hits America's Roadways, Offering Kindness to Strangers
By: LINDSAY DAVIS Originally Posted: Sunday, November 6th, 2011
In 2006, a British chap named Leon Logothetis decided to travel across the U.S. on $5 a day without any credit cards, cash, or even a cell phone. His mission — to explore the U.S. and see what transpires when he relies not just on himself, but also on the kindness of strangers. After getting by with a little help from his newly found American friends, chronicled in his new book Amazing Adventures of a Nobody, Leon is giving back with a little kindness of his own.
At this time, Leon is somewhere between New York and L.A. driving a 1985 British vintage taxi, which he calls The Kindness Cab. He's giving "free rides to all" or at least to those who find him by way of his website, Facebook page, Twitter feed, or a lucky encounter with Leon himself. His three-week journey across America started in New York's Times Square on October 24 and will end in Los Angeles at the Hollywood sign on November 15, which also happens to be National Kindness Day. (Yes, there is such a thing. It's the start of World Kindness Week. Yes, there is such a thing.) He will stop in the communities that helped him back in '06, and the mileage money he collects in each city will be donated to a children's charity.
I spoke to Leon from New York a few days before he set off on his trip. While he may be new to driving a vintage taxi, he is no stranger to travel, connecting with people, fulfilling his dreams, and finding a little calmness in a crazy world. If anybody seems well-suited to give Americans a lift, it's Leon Logothetis.
November 6, 2011
Book-A-Day Giveaway Winners (Week of 11/6)
[image error]This week's Book-A-Day giveaway winners are below! Enter everyday by posting the following message to your Facebook or Twitter:
@LeonLogothetis is giving away a book a day for 30 days! Simply share this link on Facebook or Twitter, http://amzn.to/nbjPE9, and you'll automatically be entered to win your very own copy of Amazing Adventures of a Nobody!
WINNERS*
Sunday: Brandi Shawn
Monday: Penny Dunbar
Tuesday: Holland Saltsman
Wednesday: Lupita Garza-Grande
Thursday: Wendy Pederson
Friday: Robert Derdoski
Saturday: Duke Hillinger
*Winners please e-mail me your mailing address by clicking here and I'll get a copy of the book out to you right away.
November 3, 2011
Smile Chicago. You're in the Kindness Cab.
If you don't have a smile, I'll give you one of mine. ~Author Unknown
The real magic of The Kindness Cab is simple. It makes people smile. I see it everyday. I see it in the people I pick up. I see it in the pedestrians on the street. I see it when I look in the mirrors and catch a glimpse of myself. Smiling.
There is something wonderful about giving something for nothing. People respond from the heart. Whenever I see a smile on someone's face I feel honored and privileged to be driving this cab. It makes it all worthwhile.
Todays mission: Make Chicago smile.
The Kindness Cab spent the whole day determined to complete its mission. Our first smile came when we were invited to breakfast at world famous Ina's restaurant. FREE breakfast is always the best way to start a day. Thanks Ina.
Then I was off to pick up a Panamanian family visiting Chicago for the first time. I drove them to the famous navy pier and had a rip roaring time. No one ever told me how much Panamanians smile. It is most definitely contagious.
Next stop. Uri the Ukrainian harmonica player.
His sweet ballads were music to everyone's ears. His young daughter Delilah was also a rather delightful soul. Her harmonica skills did need some fine–tuning though…(umm, Leon she was only four years old!)
Overall my trip to the windy city was definitely a positive one.
Smiles all around. Mission Accomplished.
Schedule of Kindness Cab pit stops can be found at: www.kindnesscab.com, additionally use #thekindnesscab on Twitter to reach me there.
November 2, 2011
November 1, 2011
The Kindness Cab on AOL Travel!
In the United States? Catch a free ride with the Kindness Cab
by Jessica Festa (RSS feed) on Nov 1st 2011 at 11:00AM
From now up until November 13, 2011, anyone located in between Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, California, can catch a free ride in a 1985 London Sterling taxi. CouchSurfer Leon Logothetis started driving the Kindness Cab in a an effort to give back to the community as well as raise money for charity. If you're interested in hitching a ride with him, you can click here to follow his whereabouts and connect.Years ago, Logothetis hitchhiked from New York to L.A., relying on the kindness of strangers to get around. Now, as he re-traces his original route, he is repaying the favor. On his first day in New York, he drove thirteen hours and picked up thirty passengers. The entire journey will end on November 13, 2011, World Kindness Day.
Here is a list of where and when you can catch the Kindness Cab next:
October 31- Chicago
November 3- St. Louis
November 7- Denver
November 9- Santa Fe
November 10- Phoenix
November 11- Las Vegas
November 13- Los Angeles
