It’s been barely a year since the collective heart of a community broke over the news that Red Bud women and lifelong best friends Abby Liefer, 19, and Hannah Porter, 20, were killed when Liefer’s car was struck head-on by a drunk driver on Route 159 south of Hecker last Jan. 10.

Liefer’s sisters, Brandy Muertz and Alison Schubert, came up with the idea to honor the girls on their birthdays by inviting people to commit random acts of kindness those two days in the girls’ names. The idea expanded and eventually the first annual “Abby & Hannah’s Random Acts of Kindness Day” was scheduled for Feb. 10, 2015 — just one short month after their deaths.

Schubert initially expected a few family and friends to take part in the event, but she was soon surprised by the reach of the girls’ tragic deaths, which united thousands of people and stretched around the world as family, friends and even strangers looked for ways to honor the two women who had been known for their generosity and giving spirits throughout their short lives.

“We are continuing this year with the hopes of having the success that it was last year,” Liefer posted on the Facebook page “Our Angels: Abby & Hannah.”

“It helped our families to start the healing process and it has restored faith in humanity as a community,” she continued.

From buying a stranger’s fast food lunch to giving away free car washes or leaving scratch-off lottery tickets at gas pumps, people found ways, large and small, to remember Liefer and Porter.

Those who knew the girls best are hoping for a repeat of last year’s RAOK successes. Already, a Facebook event has garnered 22,000 invitations to participate; last year, 65,000 invitations were shared with 10,300 pledging participation.

For more information on Abby & Hannah’s Random Acts of Kindness Day, which is Wednesday, Feb. 10, visit the event’s Facebook page. On the page, there is a card with a QR code that can be printed out and distributed to spread the word about the movement and teach the world about Abby and Hannah.

“Thank you all for your amazing support,” Schubert wrote on the page. “May Abby and Hannah’s spirits live through the kindness of others.”