Woman Celebrates 59 Years with a Decade of Kindness

Instead of unwrapping presents, Melli Gallo Furlong spends her birthday watching kindness ripple through her community.

For more than a decade, the Newnan resident has turned her January birthday into something extraordinary. About a month before turning another year older, she posts a simple request on Facebook: skip the gifts and do something kind for someone else instead.

The acts don't need to be grand. Holding a door open counts. So does returning a shopping cart, helping a turtle cross the road, or buying a stranger's lunch. "Just some kind of kindness toward other humans or animals, just to kind of put that positive energy out there," Furlong said.

The tradition started with a movie. Years ago, Pay It Forward inspired Furlong to practice generosity during her 37-year career as a registered nurse. She'd buy coffee for coworkers or treat strangers to small gestures, always refusing repayment with the same words: "Pay it forward to somebody else."

Her birthday gave her the perfect stage to spread that philosophy further. And it worked.

Kindness became the foundation of her life with her wife, Kay. At their wedding 10 years ago, the couple skipped the gift registry entirely. Instead, they asked guests to perform random acts of kindness and write them down on slips of paper, which they read together later.

For years, Furlong and Kay marked her birthday by standing in public places like Little Five Points and Stone Mountain with handmade "Free Hugs" signs. Some people declined, but many accepted. "As long as it makes somebody have a better day, then that's time well spent," Furlong said.

This year looks different. Now 59 and medically retired with autoimmune illnesses, Furlong is postponing the public hugs during flu season. But the kindness challenge continues.

Why This Inspires

Friend Sierra Pyron, who nominated Furlong for Citizen of the Week, summed it up perfectly: "Melli is the kind of person who you always want in your corner. She is fun, kind, strong, and stands up for the marginalized."

What makes Furlong's tradition so powerful isn't the size of the acts. It's the consistency. Year after year, she reminds hundreds of people that small gestures matter, that kindness costs nothing, and that one person can change the energy of an entire community.

After a decade of birthday kindness challenges, Furlong has a simple hope: "We need to be more kind to each other. We need to be more empathetic toward each other."

Her 59th birthday arrives on January 16, and the invitation stands open to everyone.