It took a little detective work, but the identities of what turned out to be three San Marino residents at the heart of a mystery about anonymous acts of kindness have been discovered.
Melanie (left) and Gavi Ahn don tools of their guerrilla kindness movement — kneepads that made it more comfortable for them to paint “thank you” messages to local postal workers.
Sisters Melanie and Gavi Ahn confirmed an anonymous tip that they created drawings supporting San Marino’s postal workers and later, with the assistance of Jihyun Moon, fashioned greeting cards to add a personal touch to their kindness.
It was Melanie Ahn, a senior at Mayfield Senior School, who came up with the idea to create chalk art in the parking lot of the local U.S. Postal Service station on Huntington Drive.
A talented artist and calligrapher, Melanie said she has been “trying to do a little something here and there to help out” during the pandemic.
She then enlisted the assistance of her younger sister, Gavi, a 5th-grader at Carver Elementary School. A Junior Olympics regional champion gymnast, Gavi has been ultra-busy in the gym during the pandemic, as the sport easily complies with social distancing. In her free time, Gavi has also learned she loves cooking, gardening and painting.
When Moon, a neighbor and friend of the Ahn girls, found out about the project, she made personal cards for the postal workers and Melanie added the calligraphy. Jihyun chose green leaves for her card design because they “feel hopeful,” she said.
Hopefully, the gifts will bolster workers’ spirits during the exceptionally busy season they are now entering.
