Friendly couple waves for a good cause

PERRY, Iowa, May 13 (UPI) -- An ambitious Midwestern couple said they are trying to make their new home of Perry, Iowa, a more friendly place by waving to every person they see.

Children's books writers, Tom Owens, 47, and Diana Helmer, 45, said they have no hidden motive for persistent jovial waving other than trying to be friendly to new neighbors in the 8,700-person city of Perry.

"We just wanted to be nice to people. Be nice -- that's our secret plot," Owens told the Des Moines (Iowa) Register.

The couple, who moved to Perry from Marshalltown, Iowa, in December, does a lot of their waving on neighborhood walks they take twice a day, the Register reports.

"I've noticed the effects a wave has. When you wave it's like a smile. A smile always changes your mood. You can't smile and not be changed," Helmer said.