11 ways to participate in One Boston Day
The day encourages acts of kindness around the city.

April 15 will from now on be known as “One Boston Day” thanks to a proclamation Mayor Marty Walsh signed earlier this month. Last year marked the beginning of the tradition: a day on which Boston honors the anniversary of the 2013 Marathon bombings by encouraging “random acts of kindness and spreading goodwill.”
“April 15 is a date that has come to stand for our city’s deepest values, and we continue to be amazed by the spirit of the day, in the City, and around the world,’’ Walsh previously said.
Here’s what Boston-area businesses have planned to help you honor this new day.
Visit the Museum of Science’s Butterfly Garden for free
We will honor #OneBostonDay with free entry for visitors to our Butterfly Garden, a peaceful space above the Charles https://t.co/ucI707U2Va
— Museum of Science (@museumofscience) April 12, 2016
Spend a peaceful afternoon overlooking the Charles River in the museum’s conservatory full of beautiful butterflies and exotic plants. (Museum of Science, 1 Science Park; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
Get $0 admission to the Museum of Fine Arts
Proud to offer free admission after 4 pm on #OneBostonDay. Stop by to find kindness in art: https://t.co/DMm35ICcp6 https://t.co/knpmGKuoHf
— Museum of Fine Arts (@mfaboston) April 12, 2016
Boston’s MFA will open its doors for free after 4 p.m. this Friday and stay open until 10 p.m. It’s a great time to check out their current exhibit, Megacities Asia. (Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave; 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.)
Go to the Sports Museum at TD Garden for free
In honor of #OneBostonDay, The Sports Museum is offering free admission on 4/15. What will you do? pic.twitter.com/MuBm1JE7Ip
— The Sports Museum (@TheSportsMuseum) April 13, 2016
Obviously Boston is a great sports city, and you can indulge in all that history at the Sports Museum, which houses everything from pieces of the old Boston Garden to the original Bruin stuffed bear cub. (TD Garden, 100 Legends Way; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
Hug the Boston Ballet Nutcracker Bear
In honor of #OneBostonDay on 4/15, #BBNutcracker Bear will be giving hugs in Copley Square at noon! Share the love. pic.twitter.com/q29aIlaPlG
— Boston Ballet (@BostonBallet) April 13, 2016
The bear from the Boston Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker will be hanging around Copley Square at noon to spread some love to passersby. (Copley Square; 12 p.m.)
Sip on a drink from Cosi while helping the Greater Boston Food Bank
Tomorrow is #OneBostonDay. Donate in Boston stores to @Gr8BosFoodBank, get a beverage on us! https://t.co/8X2V1NLuuM pic.twitter.com/b4OAnv6OWA
— Così (@get_cosi) April 14, 2016
All Boston-area Cosi restaurants are offering a handcrafted beverage when customers make in-store donations to the Greater Boston Food Bank. (All Boston area locations; various hours)
Get a cocktail and donate to a Marathon Bombing survivor
.Join us in RumBa 4/15 for #OneBostonDay cocktails. $5 from every signature cocktail sold benefits @Heather_Abbott1 pic.twitter.com/PIK2P2gJy6
— InterContinental BOS (@InterConBOS) April 13, 2016
RumBa, the bar and lounge at InterContinental Hotel Boston, will donate $5 from every signature cocktail sold on Friday to benefit Boston Marathon Bombing survivor Heather Abbott. (InterContinental Hotel Boston, 510 Atlantic Ave; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.)
Eat dessert to donate to the Martin Richard Foundation
In the spirit of #OneBostonDay @BostoniaPublic will donate proceeds from their signature dessert to @TeamMR8. pic.twitter.com/Bvkg5f9fru
— MOJO cold brew (@mojocoffees) April 13, 2016
What could be sweeter than helping out a good cause while dining on some dessert? From Friday to Monday, Bostonia Public House will donate all proceeds from their sweet potato, bourbon-glazed doughnuts dessert to the Martin Richard Foundation. (Bostonia Public House, 131 State St.; 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.)
Go on a complimentary Boston Duck Tour
We are proud to Kick off One Boston Day with a Duck tour and visit to @museumofscience for 216 Home Base veterans pic.twitter.com/n60biF8XrJ
— Boston Duck Tours (@BostonDuckTours) April 9, 2016
For military members and their families, Boston Duck Tours will offer free rides and Museum of Science admissions. Home Base Veterans is a partnership between the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital aimed at helping veterans and their families heal from the “invisible wounds of war.” (Museum of Science, Science Park; 8:30 a.m.)
Help Flint, Michigan
All Boston Public Library locations are a donation drop off center for #Onebostonday #Flint @marty_walsh pic.twitter.com/NigqIKeAln
— BostonPublicLibrary (@BPLBoston) April 12, 2016
All Boston Public Library locations will serve as donation drop-off centers to donate baby formula, hand sanitizer, and baby wipes to aid Flint, Michigan residents currently dealing with the water crisis. (All BPL locations, Police and Fire Stations, and Boston City Hall, 1 City Hall Square; various hours)
Donate blood
Plans yet for #OneBostonDay? Sign up to donate blood @SheratonBoston w/@fox25news -it saved my life 3 years ago! https://t.co/cfccCqGoxz
— Dic Donohue (@DicDonohue) April 13, 2016
On Friday, the Red Cross will be at the Sheraton Boston Hotel for a Boston Strong Blood Drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Sheraton Boston Hotel, 39 Dalton St; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
Drop off cereal to support Pine Street Inn
We serve 70 lbs/cereal/day to shelter guests. Support by donating cereal @WFM_SouthEnd @WholeFoodsCRP! #OneBostonDay pic.twitter.com/AjENhsFlLj
— Pine Street Inn (@PineStreetInn) April 12, 2016
Stop by a Whole Foods in the South End or Beacon Hill to donate cereal boxes for Pine Street Inn. The homeless shelter says they serve 70 pounds of cereal a day to their guests. (181 Cambridge St., 348 Harrison Ave., and 15 Westland Ave.; 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.)
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