Kindness begets kindness. So, wanted to create a space to share and amplify stories of kindness with the hope that it inspires a chain reaction.

Tessa Zimmerman

When I was eight years old, I started experiencing severe anxiety and panic attacks in the classroom. My teacher had no idea what to do when I was having a panic attack so she’d send me to the principal’s office. As I got older and continued to experience anxiety, school offered little help outside of handing me a stress ball. Luckily when I was twelve years old my parents had been introduced to a private school and an amazing school leader, Suellen Inwood, that was known to help kids that struggled with anxiety. Read more>>

Lynita Mitchell-Blackwell

Kindness is the gift that keeps on giving, and it amazes me how the smallest, most random acts of kindness pop up in my life. I am so grateful to say that I am blessed daily with kindness from those I know and love, and also from people I meet momentarily (I no longer call anyone a stranger, as I realize we are all interconnected, and there is a reason we meet every person in our lives). I recently had coffee with a new colleague, something that I strive to do at least twice a month to get back into the swing of “faceworking”, networking face-to-face post-COVID-19 quarantee/stay in place orders. Read more>>

Louie T. McClain II

There I was. Sitting in the Major’s office with my mother by my side. She drove to Pensacola to be with me during this troublesome time I was experiencing, and I needed her consolation. As I sat in the office and held the letter I prepared the night prior… I began to think about events which got me to this point. The year was 2008 and I was fresh out of college, a semester early. A year prior, I completed an internship with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and I enjoyed the work so much that I went on to volunteer with the juvenile probation department after the internship terminated. That’s where I met Therese Moses – a great friend who inspired this article. Read more>>

Sunny Brigham

The kindest thing or things that anyone has ever said to me was thanking them for helping them transform their health. Most people struggle to prioritize their own health. They put everything else above investing in a qualified nutritionist to help them revamp their diets in a healthy manner. Most think a nutritionist is just going to tell them to eat more vegetables and it’s so much more than that. Food can create an environment where inflammation is high in the body causing things like constipation, diarrhea, bloating, joint pain, muscle pain or weakness, chronic fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, depression, hypertension, high cholesterol, and is a pathway to so many diseases. Read more>>

Susie Prince

When I was very new in my business, a few other designers took me under their wings and invited me to lunches and networking events where I met other people in the industry. I’d heard in the past that the design industry was very secretive and difficult to get into. What I found instead was a group, of mostly women, who supported one another and cheered for one another. This was huge for me as someone who is highly social and struggling being all alone in my new business. It meant the world to me that people who were already very successful took the time to reach back and help lift me up. Read more>>

Seanette Haynes

While dating my now husband, as we got to know each other we had a series of crucial conversations. He saw past my mistakes and identified weak mindset to put it lightly. I’ve never had anyone sit me down and give it to my straight; no chaser. It was extremely challenging to go through and face myself. These crucial conversations mattered so much because plainly put; your life is a by product of your thinking. To date real and honest communication is vital for successful partnership and growing relational intimacy. I’m beyond grateful as I’ve dreamed of having my husband like in my life even thou I didn’t know how badly back then. Read more>>

Austin Hunt

I have this friend Grant, I met Grant when I was doing photography as my main area of focus. We quickly became friends, he was an up and coming producer who frequently posted his music going by the stage name “Medasin.” He started to play more shows and I wanted to photograph them. So naturally I just began to follow him since basically the beginning of his career till the pandemic happened, so we have been touring around the US, Canada, and part of Asia since 2016. Through these experiences of traveling and the nightlife scene, i gained new perspectives, I believe being able to travel and getting a better understanding for different peoples lifestyles, experiences, and cities you begin to become more humble in your experience. Read more>>

Cameron McCloud

Putting together my first book should have been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, and it would have been if not for all the people I had helping me. Let me give you a little background on the book: In March 2021 I challenged myself to write a verse everyday for 100 days and post a video of the verse on social media. At the end of the challenge, I compiled all the verses and put them into a book. Easier said than done. If it wasn’t for all the dope artists that I’m fortunate enough to know, the book would still be an idea. Read more>>

Charity Deleon

About 13 years ago my fifth child was born with special needs and an array of medical complications, we were told she only had a 25% chance of surviving, and if she did she would be in a vegetative state, so we made the decision that I would become her caretaker full time. I resigned from my job and shortly after that my husband was laid off from his job, when he did find another job, it was making less than half of his previous salary; times were very tough. It was the hardest of times we had ever lived; we lost all our financial security paying medical bills and trying to stay afloat. Read more>>

Josh Utley

In 2005 I was in the middle of a divorce and a child custody battle. A month before I was served divorce papers I was laid off after securing a 90 million dollar, five year contract with SPAWAR for my former employer, ManTech International. While I was at ManTech as their Creative Director and Media Production Supervisor I managed 22 production artists. A few of them were interns from my alma mater where I was on the advisory board. Upon hearing of my dismissal, one of those interns left ManTech and came to work for me. A month later I had an opportunity to meet with a potential client regarding a real estate website project. Read more>>

Jason Levi

It was Barcelona, Spain, 1973 where I had just opened my first commercial and portraiture photographic studio. I was preparing an exhibition of portraits of famous people in Barcelona when I realized that I needed to add Salvador Dali to this exhibit. Dali was living in the town of Port LLigat about a two hour drive north of Barcelona and on a whim I looked up his phone number and called. To my surprise he answered the phone, and I proceeded to explain to him my intent. He responded that he had heard of my planned exhibit and invited my wife and I to his home. To make a long story short, we became close friends until his passing. Read more>>

Liz Medrano

Dr. Cooper, my junior year art teacher. This man had the credentials to be principal of my high school, yet he was the art teacher and I admired him for that. I had his class twice in one day— 1st period and right after lunch. At first I thought that there may have been an error in my schedule but later I learned it was just a way for the universe to bring in a vessel of motivation I so desperately needed. I always assumed people were just as artistically inclined as I was. I didn’t think there was anything special in the way I drew things or executed my ideas until this man came into my life. He would stop the class just to rave about my work. Read more>>

Donnetria Eltoinea

In November I bought a 1977 Dodge Winnebago to work in and it needs to be restored. The kindest thing is that my friends and clients have donated to help me restore. As a single business owner and operator finances are the biggest struggle at times. So any help means the world to me and my business. Read more>>

Shawn Smith

I went to Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas. I was exposed to art at a young age and my high school experience solidified my love of making things. After graduating, my father became very ill. I chose to stay close to home and take care of him. I continued my education to the best of my abilities by attending Brookhaven Community College in Dallas while taking care of my father and working at a restaurant. Initially, most of the classes I took were the basics that I knew would transfer to a 4 year institution – like economics, psychology, history, etc. Read more>>

Kiundrea Washington

The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me would be my best friend and mentor ,Brett Westfall ,taking me on tour with him. Brett Westfall is a father, Artist, visionary, and close collaborator with Comme DES Garçons for over 17 years. He called me out of the blue and asked me to go on tour to wrap up his art exhibition ”Signs of Life” in collaboration with his daughter, Moon Westfall, and These Days Gallery (ran by Jodi & Stephen Zigglar). I had already helped with the LA installation at Dover Street Market and performed for the first showing. I suppose you could say I was there from the beginning. It ended up in the CDG trading museum in Japan, Andover Street market New York. Read more>>

Serena Shaw

There was a point when my business was in a tight spot financially and the tough question of “will I survive and if so how?” was on the table. My business itself could survive but could I personally survive scraping from the bottom of the barrel what little was left over. It was an emotional time and the idea of closing my business and taking a job I didn’t absolutely love was really devastating. Anyway, I have a friend, a 75 year old retired veteran, I love him dearly. He has helped me in so many ways and this time was above and beyond. We were on one of our walk and talks and he said to me, “you can’t close your business what you do is to important. Read more>>

Angela Farris

One Valentine’s it iced and snowed all night the day before the big day. Fearful of what to expect for the day, I left home at 4 AM. There was already 10 inches of snow. As I drove, powerlines were snapping from the weight of the ice and snow, sparking as they hit the ground. Our team of experienced drivers, who were expected to arrive at 7:00 am to load the arrangements, one by one called to say they could not make it in. I did not know what I was going to do to ensure we kept our promise to all of our customers who had trusted us to deliver flowers to their Valentine’s. At 8 AM, a customer called to say her husband and children were coming to help us deliver. What a blessing. And the children all have very blonde hair and with the snow, our customers called all day to ask who the angels were who delivered their flowers. Read more>>

Deedee Hampton

I create art because i enjoy the process, it offers me solace in a chaotic world and it gives me a way to explore both my inner & outer landscape. It is integral to my being. I seriously don’t know what i would do if i didn’t have my creative outlet to turn to. Art saves lives! I have been working as an artist my whole adult life- from owning a stained glass studio to managing a large arts & crafts complex where i also taught workshops – the Mootz Family Craft & Design Center in Estes Park; to where i am now -painting both “Spirit Animal” paintings and “Magic, Mirth & Mystery” paintings, along with creating fun “found object” idiom inspired dioramas and large clay & mosaic totem sculptures. Read more>>

Olaniyi Akindiya

Kindest someone or anyone had done for me is loving me unconditionally, believe in me and telling me the truth without care if it will hurt my feeling or not. I was born in community that has limited opportunities, society which had been labels that nothing good will ever come out from their generation to generation but my life changes because I am driven with wisdom, smart, innovative and most of it all I have parents and family / communities of people who see bright future, have deep insight and ready to do anything to see that I am greater than them and they put their heads together to helping me, support me, scrod me, listen to my crazy ideas and be there to support, collaborate with me as I push those impossible thinking to be possible. Read more>>

Marta Blanco

I first founded Sofia’s Hope in 2013 about a year after Sofia passed away. To lose a child is something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. I was hurting and trying to make sense of things. You see, we were really fortunate during Sofia’s cancer journey that we had a community of friends and family surrounding us with love and care. But we realized early on that not everyone had this kind of safety net. We immediately got to work organizing toy and gift card drives, ordering food for staff and families on the floor—these efforts persisted through Sofia’s remission, later when the late effects of chemotherapy took hold of her heart, and after she passed away waiting for a heart transplant. Read more>>

Neicole Woodall

December 30, 2016 my husband of 42 years had a massive hemorrhagic stroke. He was in intensive care for 28 days. During his hospitalization, we were notified that we had no insurance coverage. The start up company he was working for had been deducting insurance premiums from his checks, but had not been paying the premiums. Since the company had lapsed the insurance 3 times that year they were not given permission to put the policies back in place, We were left with a $500,000 .00 medical debt. The deadline to sign up for Obama care insurance had passed, but due to our circumstances, we were granted permission to sign up. Read more>>