El Paso boy, 11, challenges community to do '20 good deeds' to honor shooting victims

Following the deadly shooting in El Paso, a young boy is stepping up with an “#ElPasoChallenge,” asking the city’s residents to perform “20 random acts of kindness” to honor those who lost their lives in the attack.

Ruben Martinez, 11, was struggling with “bad anxiety” after the mass shooting which left at least 22 people dead and dozens wounded at a Walmart near Cielo Vista Mall in his hometown of El Paso, Texas on Saturday. His mother Rose Gandarilla shared his handwritten note describing the challenge in a post on Twitter on Sunday.

“Purpose: To honor the people who got killed in our city,” the challenge reads. “How: I’ll challenge each person in El Paso to do 20 good deeds for each other.”

The handwritten note lists examples of what people could do, like “mow someone’s lawn,” “visit a nursing home” and “donate to families in need,” among other acts.

Martinez also encouraged people to hold up posters, pass out flyers and share the challenge on Facebook to encourage more locals to participate.

“This will show that people from El Paso, TX are kind and care for each other,” the 11-year-old wrote.

However, the response to Gandarilla’s tweet spread far beyond just El Paso — and people from all over the country accepted Martinez’s challenge, praising him for spreading kindness, and his mother for raising a “wonderful” son.

Colorado State Senator Kerry Donovan tweeted she would extend the challenge to 22 acts after the death toll from the shooting rose on Monday.

El Paso resident Chris Castaneda also posted on Facebook to show that Martinez’s activism goes beyond social media. According to his post, the “courageous” young boy went up to a group of people in a Taco Bell restaurant on Sunday and challenged them to “make El Paso a better place” in person.

Gandarilla did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment but told KVIA-TV that the goal of the challenge was to help El Paso smile after one of the darkest days in the city’s history.

"After a lot of discussion, I said, 'Why don’t you go think of something that you can do to show everybody that El Paso’s good,'" she told the El Paso news station. "You can help someone in need when they’re feeling stressed out.”

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• Florida man charged with felony for threatening hotel manager through email: 'Made my girl cry now I must make him die'

• Sesame allergies more common than previously thought, says new study

• El Paso hospital was prepared for a mass shooting, and experts say training is crucial: 'It's not a question of if, but when'

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.