On July 8, Brooklynites will join families across New York state in celebrating Random Acts of Kindness Day, a grassroots effort sparked by grief and an unwavering commitment to help others.
The initiative honors the memory of Samantha “Sammy” Goldsmith, a vibrant 34-year-old who spent much of her life in New York City and whose legacy continues to touch families from Park Slope to Prospect Heights and beyond.
“She was just like us. She had her entire life ahead of her,” said Jenny Goldsmith, Sammy’s sister. “She was my best, best friend. And in the blink of an eye, everything changed.”
Sammy was struck by a car while traveling abroad in 2019. After surviving for 11 months with a traumatic brain injury, she died in 2020. The Goldsmiths, overwhelmed by both the emotional toll and medical realities of her care, decided to redirect the remaining funds from a GoFundMe campaign to help other families in crisis.
“It was a no-brainer — no pun intended,” Goldsmith said. “Sammy was the most selfless, giving person. We knew she would’ve wanted us to help someone else.”
In 2022, they partnered with the Brain Injury Association of New York State to launch the Samantha Goldsmith Fund, which provides up to $5,000 to help brain injury survivors and their families across the state. The fund helps cover urgent, often uncovered costs such as wheelchair modifications, transportation and emergency housing.
One of those families lives right here in Brooklyn.
Years ago, a young boy in Brooklyn was hit by a car and sustained a severe brain injury. Now a young adult, he still requires daily support. After spending years in out-of-state care, his family hoped to bring him back home. But a medically necessary tilt shower chair — a key piece of equipment needed to care for him safely at home — was not covered by insurance. That’s when they turned to the Samantha Goldsmith Fund.
“Time was running out,” Goldsmith said. “We know firsthand how urgent and overwhelming this can be. This family had done everything right, but they needed help — and we were able to be that help.”
For Sammy’s family, helping Brooklynites is personal. Sammy spent years living in the city, frequenting local coffee shops and building a career in philanthropy. Though she was raised in New Jersey, she carved a life in New York.
“She loved Brooklyn, she was such a ‘city girl,’” she said.
Now the family channels that same energy into Random Acts of Kindness Day, celebrated every July 8 — the day Sammy died. They encourage people to perform simple yet heartfelt gestures in her memory: buying coffee for the person behind you in line, donating to an animal shelter, leaving flowers on a car or complimenting a stranger.
“This day is about being ‘Sammy’ for the day,” Goldsmith said. “She would go out of her way to help another human being because she would take the shirt off her back — literally — for someone in need.”
For the Goldsmiths, the future of the fund is about building awareness and community, especially for those who feel isolated after a loved one suffers a brain injury.
‘We had no idea where to turn when it happened to us,” she said. “We want other people to know they’re not alone. That there is help. There is hope.”
Since its creation, the fund has distributed nearly $60,000 to families in need.
“The idea that just getting the awareness out there,” Goldsmith said, “that there are funds, and there are things that can be there, because you can just feel so hopeless.”
