Jon StojanWatch an episode of the evening news and you will be exposed to so many stories of hate and violence all over the world. Wars, racism, religious conflict, and political polarization dominate the airwaves, and you won’t be faulted for concluding that kindness is rare and endangered.
Jennifer Woods, founder and commander-in-chief of Kindness Revolution, wants to change that. Kindness Revolution is an organization that seeks to spread love and kindness across the globe by creating fun and colorful merchandise that promotes happiness, positivity, and generosity, using the items as a conduit for creating a worldwide movement of positive social change.
Kindness Revolution, Logo
A bubbly and spirited woman, Jennifer’s enthusiasm for kindness is infectious. However, unbeknownst to many, her reason for starting the Kindness Revolution came from a terribly traumatic act of violence. On the afternoon of March 22, 2021, Jennifer’s local supermarket, where she shopped regularly, was the site of a mass shooting that killed 10 people. Three of the fatalities were people she knew – two were store employees she interacted with frequently, and one was a police officer who helped her out in the previous year. The mass shooting deeply traumatized the community of Boulder, Colorado, and tributes to the victims have been held each year.
As a way to cope with the grief, Jennifer started a Facebook page, where she posted various quotes, videos, and memes about kindness, and the page quickly grew to several thousand followers. Jennifer began collaborating with her co-worker, Nick Rusinko, drawing up plans to grow the community. They created the character of Daisy, the Kindness Revolution General, as the page’s mascot. But, just a few months later, tragedy struck once again, when Nick suddenly died of a heart attack at the terribly young age of 26.
“I was just completely devastated and heartbroken,” Jennifer says. “So I stopped posting and let the page go. It was too painful, and the Kindness Revolution became another source of trauma. My last post was in February 2022, and I forgot about the page for a couple of years. But, a few months ago, for some reason, people started interacting with the page again. People were liking posts from 2021 and the page came back to life all on its own.”
This inspired Jennifer to continue the mission of Kindness Revolution and take it to the next level, because that was what Nick would have wanted. Prior to the page’s hiatus, Jennifer and Nick were assembling Kindness Kits, which were small baggies of fun trinkets such as smiley face pins, bobbleheads, stress balls, stickers, and candies. They also included bookmarks and note cards with kind and inspirational messages, such as “You’re great!”, “You’re loved!”, and “Keep up the good work!”. The kits were specifically designed to encourage a smile on peoples faces.
Recently, Jennifer got in touch with Dan Alcantara, one of her friends from college, who happened to be a graphic artist, and they restarted the Kindness Revolution project.
Kindness Revolution now carries an assortment of T-shirts and other merchandise carrying inspirational messages about kindness. Jennifer also renamed the Kindness Kits into K-Bombs, envisioning them as a quick, easy way for people to drop kindness on people around them anytime, anywhere. They are portable and handy, and can be handed to just about anybody – the rideshare driver, the bank teller, the bartender, or any person on the street – and it’s sure to light up their faces with a big smile!
Kindness Revolution, K-Bomb Notecard
“Sometimes the world can be so harsh that we forget that kindness exists,” Jennifer says. “We restarted the Kindness Revolution with a mission to remind everybody that kindness is a real thing. By wearing our shirts and handing out K-Bombs, it signifies that you are part of the Kindness Army, performing acts of kindness that are in incredibly short supply today.” Jennifer hopes these tiny acts of kindness will create a ripple effect out into the world and make some actual change. One smile at a time.