We asked entrepreneurs, artists, creatives and folks from every walk of life to share stories of kindness with us because we believe that hearing about kindness inspires more kindness. Our world needs more kindness.

Alex Waxter

It has happened may of times in my life where a friend has asked me to make them something. And I love doing it, it is a love language of mine. But the kindest act was when a friend at work recommended me for a large curtain project for a gallery exhibition. It was so meaningful because it came out of nowhere and their confidence in my skills helped to make me feel stronger in my abilities as well. It has also really opened the doors for me to pursue my art professionally. And once the curtains were installed getting to see how happy it made other people really touched my heart. Read more>>

Donna Hayes

I was 25 years old and I was escaping an abusive husband who had left me and our infant daughter in a dilapidated apartment infested with rats and water bugs to live with his mistress. I packed my one-year-old and everything I could fit into my worn-out Chevy Chevette. With just $50 to my name, no plan, and a car on the brink of breaking down, I drove with no real destination. Read more>>

Abner Ooi

Early in my creative journey, I felt like the odd one out—the only one in my friend groups obsessed with cameras, storytelling, and the itch to shoot for the stars and chase an ambitious life of taking photos and creating videos for a living while travelling. I started to put myself out there and posted sporadically online on Instagram, half-hoping someone would ‘get it,’ but mostly just talking to the void. Then I stumbled on my friend Ryuji’s work. His photos and videos were striking, but it was his captions and storytelling—raw, philosophical, especially for his age as a person in his late teen years —that made me pause. Here was someone who spoke in the same wavelength I thought only existed in my head. Read more>>

Vanessa Hartley

I’ve lived a life that has been blessed with small acts of kindness in many ways. Whether it’s granting favours, or through gifts or acts of service, there’s been no shortage of kindness that I have received. There is one random act from a stranger that stands out, just because it was random. I actually went to the grocery store to top up on some stuff and while waiting to cash out, I saw that someone had a single item. I prompted them to go ahead of me while I got my loyalty card and monies ready. He went ahead and cashed his item but also cashed my items as well but I didn’t realise until I heard the cashier state a figure I know could not have been for me but was being directed towards me. As the situation became clearer, this kind stranger simply paid for our groceries, told me “Thank You” and disappeared with his one item, while I stood there still trying to fully grasp what had just transpired. Read more>>

Neha Lohia

When I was about nine or ten years old, something happened that quietly, profoundly shaped the way I live and create to this day. I had just finished a painting for the Camlin Colors contest. The theme was the Ganesha festival, and I had poured my little heart into it—my brother and I dancing with joy, my father holding the idol of Ganesha, and my mother offering a prayer with a lamp in her hands. It was our family, in celebration and devotion. I remember finishing the painting with so much pride, and then, shyly walking up to my father—who was deep into his newspaper and some important phone calls—and asking, “Dad, can you please take me to the post office to send this?” Read more>>

Krishawn Crockett

There are numerous occasions where I have encountered kind gestures from the people around me . In fact, so many that till this day I can’t wrap my head around but, if I had to narrow it down, it would be the gesture of a man who took a chance on me with investing in me in this business. I had been working with his son for some time training and mentoring him when one day his dad asked me the question of “Have I ever thought of getting a gym” at the time I had actually dreamed of it but I did not have the means to really step out and fully walk into this dream. In answering his question with an astounding yes. He follows with the phrase of “I want to invest in you” . Read more>>

Krisler Bailey

2023 was a terribly difficult year. On May 20th, my husband Stuart, experienced a stroke. We learned he had a hole in his heart, and that is what led to the stroke. Fortunately, he recovered, though we knew he would need surgery to close the hole. That happened in late July. Three weeks later, my mother, who had been battling cancer, also had surgery. That did not go as well as we hoped, and on September 26th, she passed away. Read more>>

Carol Ruffin

One of the kindest things anyone has ever done for me was when I received a grant from United Way. That support came at a pivotal time and allowed me to further develop my Blossoms Floral Academy class. What started as a dream has grown into a thriving program that empowers and educates young minds through the art of floral design. Now in our third year, the academy continues to flourish, impacting not only my life but the lives of so many students. That single act of generosity helped plant seeds that are still blooming today. Read more>>

Mason Risser

Picture this: I was stranded in Philadelphia at midnight on a Thursday. I had a voice and movement class in Ithaca, New York, at 8:00 AM the next morning. Desperate and unsure of what to do, I called my two bigs (in our theatre program, we have a big/little system, sort of like a fraternity or sorority). Without any hesitation, they agreed to drive four hours from Ithaca to Philadelphia to pick me up. Read more>>