Couple celebrates Route 66 centennial with acts of kindness every 100 miles

Digital Content Manager

Janine and Ryan Mix are traveling Route 66 in a 1947 Ford Super Deluxe, performing acts of kindness every 100 miles to celebrate the highway’s centennial.

At 7 a.m. in Tucumcari, New Mexico, a group of volunteers gathered to pick up litter, pull weeds, and clean up neglected spaces. Among them were Janine and Ryan Mix, co-founders of the nonprofit One Good Thing.

“We were out there weeding for two hours. Most of them are business owners, over 60. It’s pretty amazing,” Janine Mix said.

She added, “Afterwards, it was so cool. We went to a local—Mr. Carlson’s Coffee—and he treats everybody every single week. He won’t let us pay. I tried. He treats us to coffee, breakfast.”

Since 2023, the Mixes have been combining generosity and storytelling to help communities in need. Their latest journey has taken them to “America’s Main Street,” where they are celebrating the centennial of Route 66 by performing one act of kindness every 100 miles.

“We started in Chicago, we’re going all the way to Santa Monica, and to celebrate the centennial, we’re doing one act of kindness every 100 miles,” Janine Mix said.

“When we knew that the centennial was coming, we wanted to do something really unique and different. And how would we do Route 66 our way is by doing one act of kindness every 100 miles,” Janine Mix added.

Driving a 1947 Ford Super Deluxe, the couple has already made a difference in several communities.

“We got into Albuquerque, and we actually—I made my first towel animal at the hotel, and I left a really nice tip for a cleaner today,” Janine Mix said.

“In Santa Rosa, we paid for a bunch of people’s gas at a gas station,” she added.

Their journey recently brought them to Grants, New Mexico, where they stopped at the 1912 Market to surprise the community with free root beer floats and pastries.

“How many do we have? Do you want a root beer float?” Janine Mix asked as she handed out the treats.

“Sometimes they’re planned, and then sometimes you just kind of wait for the opportunity,” she said.

“One small act of kindness can create a ripple. You have no idea how far that will go,” Janine Mix said.

“We’re all in this life together, and a little kindness goes a long way,” she added.

For the Mixes, each pit stop is a chance to brighten someone’s day and inspire others to pay it forward.