Triangle woman honors late brother with nationwide Day of Good on April 15
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Communities across the country are coming together this week for a "Day of Good" - all in honor of a life lost in the Triangle.
Every year on April 15, the Raj Mehta Day of Good is organized by Pooja Mehta in memory of her brother. Raj was a Triangle native and Duke engineering student who died by suicide in March 2020.
In the weeks after his death, Mehta encouraged friends and family to celebrate Raj's life with acts of kindness -- big or small -- on his birthday, April 15. What began as a personal tribute has grown into a national movement.
This year's theme is "Pause for Community," encouraging people to slow down and connect with those around them.
"The whole purpose of this day is really encouraging people to think about how can you engage with each other and how can you make it a little bit better," said Pooja Mehta. "Last year, we had 2,000 people participating around the world, and we had an inaugural class of 14 partner organizations. This year, we're up to 16 partner organizers, each of them going to be doing their own little activation in their community to help people get involved, including one of our partners here, Safe Haven for Cats, and this year we're projecting to have about 2,500 people participating in all 50 states and at least 14 countries."
There are several formal events planned for the Raj Mehta Day of Good, including an after-hours adoption event at Safe Haven for Cats in Raleigh. Students with the Key Club of Raleigh Charter High, the Mehtas' alma mater, are also writing cards of gratitude for staff, and organizers say community runs and other service events are also planned.
Participants are encouraged to take part however they can -- whether that's volunteering, reaching out to a neighbor, or simply making time to connect with others.
