The Extraordinary Thing a 10 Year Old Boy and 30 Year Old Man Have in Common

Seemingly a 30-year-old man and a 10-year-old boy have nothing in common but they may have more in common than you think. This story started with 30-year-old, Bryan Tsiliacos, little did he know Max, a 10-year-old was about to inspire him more than any other. Bryan made 400 individual homemade flan desserts and hand-delivered them to firefighters in San Jose, California. Before turning 30, as many of us do, he had a bit of anxiety and looked to find more purpose in his life all while a 10-year-old boy sat captivated and intrigued by Brian’s story, but he didn’t sit for long.

The year before turning 30, during his previous birthday, he had done a random act of kindness. Looking for more meaning and to do something good he decided to hand-make 400 flan desserts to then give it to his local firefighters. San Jose firefighters have challenging jobs, they literally run toward fires instead of away from them. How much more selfless can you get than putting yourself in harm’s way for the greater good? Bryan wanted to show how much they were appreciated and decided that spending time baking to give them a sweet treat was the least he could do.

How did Brian come up with his 30-by 30-challenge? He felt that he wasn’t meeting what society expected of him as he reached this significant birthday milestone. As he told GMA3, “Rather than just dwelling on that, I took a more uplifting approach. I took out a sheet of paper and I started to write down all the things I was grateful for. And by doing that, by expressing my gratitude, I realized that every good thing that happened to me was helped by the support and generosity of others.”

And just like the news crews and community began to take note, so did Maxx. Maxx Raser a 10-year-old boy was visiting at his grandmother’s home when she turned on the news and an interesting story came on. Maxx was glued to the TV and was captivated like he hadn’t been before. His grandmother tried to pull him to do other activities but he just couldn’t bring himself to look away.

The segment went on to detail many of Bryan’s inspirational acts. Among these acts was delivering care packages to the employees working at the Oakland Zoo. It was his 10th act of kindness among a growing list of acts. Tsiliacos showed no signs of slowing down either and hopes to do even more after reaching 30. Making the community a kinder place while finding new meaning in the circles around him through his newfound connections and acts was only one aspect of many that proved transformative and life-changing for him.

He handpicked all the items in these carefully curated care packages and what better day to do this than Animal Wildlife Day? All animal keepers and veterinarians alike got the surprise of a lifetime on a day they expected nothing in return for doing their grueling and sometimes labor-intensive job. As Bryan handed out these boxes he referred to this animal-loving team as “essential workers” and he couldn’t have chosen a better way to recognize them. They truly are essential to these animals.

After being transformed by the segment Maxx saw on TV at his grandmother’s house he was also inspired to do something more. That same day he came home with a vision. He told both his mother and grandmother, “Can I do something like that for my 10th birthday?” And that is how Maxx’s 10 by 10 was also born!

When raising children the best you can hope for is that they are first good human beings and only then successful. That the children you raise become productive and meaningful members of society, through their behavior, their work, their values, and morals is all you wish for. That’s all any parent truly wants for their children. According to studies, your parents have a great influence on who you are as a person, which goes beyond genetic characteristics, this includes behavioral traits as well. This also influences how parents treat their children.

As Maxx’s 10th birthday drew closer and became right around the corner, his mom asked him once again if he was still up for the task of beginning his acts of kindness journey. Maxx answered enthusiastically that he was all in and couldn’t wait to get started. They chose to dive right into the thick of things. Without even meaning to Bryan causes a chain reaction of good deeds around his community and Maxx is just one example of the ripple effects created by simply one act. Now imagine multiplying these acts by 30 and continuing to multiply them until everyone is doing some kind of good deed for one another. Now that is the true definition of power.

As Maxx geared up to start his kindness journey, Bryan continued his. During National Nurses Week he decided to donate scrubs and tumblers to 167 nurses. He wanted to recognize “nursing heroes” and teamed up with Good Morning America to give the extraordinary nurses at Shriners Children’s Hospital in Northern California the thank you they deserve. Each nurse was presented with a brand-new set of Barco scrubs and a Hydro Flask thermos to express the gratitude he and the community have for the work that they do. This act holds a special place for Bryan because of his grandmother.

Even after National Nurses Week is long behind this act of kindness serves as a reminder to not take things and people for granted and to always thank the nurses that take care of us and our families. The plaque is symbolic of this and goes beyond even Bryans’s grandmother, Alta. It serves as a way for Alta to make an impact even beyond space and time in the hospital during her service.

Everyone should really feel like a movie star, especially these nurses. They can certainly dress like one after this. They all received their own medical scrubs inspired by the hit show ‘Grey’s Anatomy” and it was an iconic moment for everyone involved. But the acts of kindness didn’t stop there. Erica a nurse at the hospital and her manager Robert stepped forward. Robert nominated her for a special prize.

Erica shares that while she was in the foster system she witnessed a nurse taking care of someone by feeding him with a tube and it stood out as a core memory for her, the selflessness, the patience, and the desire to help someone else. She always wanted to look out for her siblings and those around her as a result. It inspired her to become a nurse and when her and her siblings were seperated for a time, their reuniting put all this in perspective for her. She wanted her siblings to believe in themselves and be inspired to be the best versions of themselves and vowed to lead by example.

Don’t worry we didn’t forget Maxx but first we need to talk about National Pizza Day. We can’t fully understand this acts of kindness journey without giving some pizza our attention. Another act of kindness on Bryan’s list of 30 acts by 30 was giving elementary school kids something to remember, talk about a core memory. Your attitude and your kindness all start developing at a young age so who better to show an act of kindness to than 360 kids at an elementary school on National Pizza Day? Inspiring kids, like Maxx. and giving them motivation to be valued members of society all starts with being valued kids in society.

We are beginning to understand why Maxx was so glued to the television after seeing only a few clips of Bryan hard at work. It’s hard not to get in our feelings after seeing people so moved and touched by Bryan’s wonderful and memorable acts. Bryan went on to surprise his local police department with sandwiches on Random Acts of Kindness Day. There is no better day to start giving back and doing something kind than today. With the help of Ike’s Sandwiches, Bryan supplied the whole department with a delicious lunch free of charge and it really made a difference.

Another officer understood the assignment. He said, “Today I’ll go home, and I’ll try to make myself pay to forward just because of that positive interaction that we had today.” This is the exact thing that this journey is all about, spreading kindness to others and creating a more positive and meaningful space for everyone.

Bryan began to garner more recognition through the inspiration and kindness he continued to spread within the community and beyond. As a result of this more talk shows and news outlets wanted to spread his message and tell his story. He got invited to interviews by Tamron Hall, Good Morning America, the local news, and more. As more people got involved in his kindness journey, his journey got bigger and bigger and he was able to do much more with the help of others.

National Sandwich Day coming up, and it felt right to make sandwiches to feed the homeless. In California simply examining the years between 2010 to 2020, homelessness has increased by 31%. Between 2020 to 2022 alone the stats have increased by 6% only in California. That is an unprecedented rate. The COVID pandemic is said to be a big contributor to the increase in such homelessness and therefore many homeless shelters could use the extra help in feeding all these extra people affected by homelessness.

Maxx went straight to work and decided to purchase his winning ingredients, bread, cheese, turkey, and ham. You can’t really get started on the sandwich-making front without the bread first. The bread is perhaps the most crucial part of the sandwich-making process. His dad also joined in on the action and Maxx alongside his dad made an assembly line in order to get all these sandwiches assembled in time for the big day. Mom helped too of course.

Maxx a 10-year-old boy from San Ramon, California, a city in Contra Costa County located 34 miles east of San Francisco, could not be more excited to get out there are pass out his sandwiches. He decided to bring his sandwiches to San Francisco’s largest homeless shelter, Multi-Service Center South. His mom, Cristina said she was so touched by her son’s compassion that she almost burst to tears as her son took his sandwich ingredients home and began to assemble.

Maxx’s mom’s call paid off because when Bryan heard about the impact his story made and how it inspired her son to give back Bryan was thrilled. He loved the opportunity to join in and help Maxx give back. That’s how this team-up was born. Tsiliacos was just as excited to meet Maxx as Maxx was excited to meet him and this moment could not be more heartwarming.

Bryan and Maxx arrived at the shelter and together, started to pass out the delicious sandwiches that Maxx worked so hard to make. Additionally, Tsiliacos got two different local delis, Irving Subs and Ikes Sandwiches, who wanted to also give back, to donate another 100 sandwiches. Together with Maxx’s, it made for 200 sandwiches and 200 full smiles and bellies as a result of Maxx and Bryan’s act of kindness.

Maxx was so inspired by Bryan but Bryan was just as inspired by Maxx. It just goes to show that no matter how old you are, what kind of resources you have, or where you come from, whether similar, the same or different we all have the means to do good and give back in some way. That perhaps is the biggest lesson of all.

Both Maxx and Bryan’s acts of kindness didn’t go unrecognized and NBC Bay Area came to document the event. It was nice for them both to be able to use their platform to spread the word about their act of kindness and hopefully inspire others to do some more kind acts in the community and beyond. In the same breathe though, getting recognized shouldn’t be the reason behind wanting to do a kind act.

It’s safe to say that Maxx had an incredible birthday that he will always remember. The happy-go-lucky hockey-loving ten-year-old also made his birthday extra special for others around him as well, because what is happiness if not shared with others? We can’t wait to see what Bryan and Maxx do for their next birthday.