Kindness Stories
The Kindness Library: The Story Behind the Grant Initiative
At the TDB Family Foundation, we believe that kindness is a force for change—and that small actions can create powerful ripples. This blog is home to the stories behind our Kindness Grant Initiative: moments of compassion, creativity, and connection from everyday people doing extraordinary things. Whether you’re here for inspiration or information, we’re so glad you’re here. Because kindness matters. Hope matters. And you matter too.
North Central Kansas CASA – Kindness Grant Recipient
What does a summer of kindness look like for a child in foster care? At North Central Kansas CASA, it’s swim passes, camp crafts, and the joy of feeling like any other kid. With support from a Kindness Grant, this grassroots project is helping kids in the child welfare system experience a summer of connection, fun, and belonging.
Susan Imhoff (with Richards Rubbish Roundup) – Kindness Grant Recipient
Each week, Susan Imhoff volunteers with Richards Rubbish Roundup to clean up local trails. But after getting to know the unhoused neighbors she met along the way, her mission expanded. With help from a Kindness Grant, she’s now creating care packages filled with seasonal essentials, offering both practical support and a powerful message of community and care.
Lahaina Music – Kindness Grant Recipient
After losing his music shop in the Lahaina wildfires, Jason Jerome turned to what he knew best – bringing people together through music. With help from the Kindness Grant, his grassroots effort Mele Hanau Hou continues to grow, offering free ‘ukuleles and weekly group lessons that help his community grieve, reconnect, and heal through the power of kanikapila.
Words To Power – Kindness Grant Recipient
What happens when students realize their stories matter? At Words To Power, it turns into poetry, power, and pride. With support from a Kindness Grant, this Denver-based initiative is publishing three books featuring 239 student poets, amplifying youth voice, identity, and community connection through the art of expression.
Sponsor A Space – Kindness Grant Recipient
When a home is in chaos, everything else feels harder. That’s why Meghan Jackson created Sponsor A Space, a grassroots nonprofit offering free, trauma-informed organizing sessions to help individuals and families regain peace, safety, and control. With help from a Kindness Grant, they’ll bring calm to four households navigating major life transitions.
Community Servant Leaders – Kindness Grant Recipient
In Boca Raton, a youth-led nonprofit is turning service into a movement. Community Servant Leaders has already mobilized over 100 teen volunteers to support local nonprofits through creative, hands-on projects. Now, with help from a Kindness Grant, they’re launching a Youth Ambassador Program that empowers teens to lead kindness efforts in their own schools and neighborhoods.
Pierce County Library Foundation – Kindness Grant Recipient
Kindness looks like 120 teens redesigning their community, one youth-led project at a time. We’re thrilled to support the Pierce County Library Foundation’s Teen Volunteer League, where students across Pierce County come together to serve, create, and lead. From building job skills to launching storytime programs and community gardens, these teens are proving that leadership starts now.
No Boundaries International – Kindness Grant Recipient
This summer, 120 teens across Pierce County will reimagine what community service can look like. With help from a Kindness Grant, the Teen Volunteer League will design projects, lead programs, and co-create the future of their local libraries… showing that when young people are trusted to lead, incredible things happen.
I AM Academy – Kindness Grant Recipient
With help from a Kindness Grant, I AM Academy students are leading the way in kindness. Through the creation of 100 peer-to-peer Kindness Kits, they’re building connections, strengthening emotional well-being, and proving that small actions can create lasting change.
Casa Círculo Cultural – Kindness Grant Recipient
Casa Círculo Cultural is bringing kindness to life through creativity and connection. With support from a Kindness Grant, their new afterschool initiative invites youth to explore empathy and gratitude through art, culminating in a public exhibit that spreads compassion far beyond the classroom.
Make Life Sweet BakeShoppe – Kindness Grant Recipient
When families affected by the Eaton Fires needed a reason to smile, Nicole Cullen of Make Life Sweet BakeShoppe stepped up, with cupcakes, cookies, and kindness. Her Kindness Grant project offers custom birthday treats to kids impacted by the fires, turning moments of loss into celebrations of love, joy, and connection.
Heidi Ballard & LAUSD Student Leaders – Kindness Grant Recipient
At a Los Angeles Unified school, a group of fourth-grade students is stepping into leadership, with a little help from their teacher and a $1,000 Kindness Grant. From launching a buddy bench to organizing a hygiene drive, these young changemakers are bringing big ideas to life, and showing that kindness and leadership can start early.
Pets Lifeline – Kindness Grant Recipient
At Pets Lifeline’s summer camp, young readers build confidence by reading to shelter dogs in a calm, judgment-free space. With help from a Kindness Grant, the Tails & Tales program will now include books focused on kindness, creating meaningful moments between kids and rescue pups.
Play It Forward – Kindness Grant Recipient
After the wildfires, 17-year-old Connor Branch saw something missing: a place for kids to just be kids again. With support from a $1,000 Kindness Grant, he launched Play It Forward, a free basketball clinic designed to rebuild joy, connection, and kindness through sport. Led by teens, powered by heart, this is what youth-led change looks like.
Peninsula Book Collaborative – Kindness Grant Recipient
With a shared love of stories and service, Peninsula Book Collaborative is bringing kindness to life through books. Their new initiative uses read-alouds, community challenges, and celebration to inspire empathy, connection, and joy, one story at a time.
Life Strides Foundation – Kindness Grant Recipient
For youth in juvenile detention, Life Strides Foundation offers more than just running shoes, they offer hope, healing, and a reminder of what’s possible. With a Kindness Grant, they equipped young athletes with the gear to run safely and the confidence to dream bigger.
Door of Hope – LA Wildfire Relief Grant
After the Eaton Fire, Door of Hope became a vital source of stability for families facing sudden homelessness. From housing support to wraparound care, they’ve shown that true recovery is about dignity, healing, and hope.
Aveson Community Organization – LA Wildfire Relief Grant
When the Eaton Fire damaged Aveson’s campuses, Aveson Community Organization rose to the moment, transforming from a parent-teacher group into a powerful relief hub. From fundraising to student-led events, they’ve shown what community leadership looks like in action.
All Saints Church Pasadena – LA Wildfire Relief Grant
After the Eaton Fire, All Saints Church didn’t just show up, they stayed. From shelter and supplies to legal aid and community care, they became a steady presence for families navigating the long road to recovery. Because true community means walking the whole way together.
Young & Healthy Pasadena – LA Wildfire Relief Grant
Healing doesn’t always begin in a clinic. After the Southern California wildfires, Young & Healthy Pasadena met families with comfort, dignity, and care, through essential supplies and wraparound support. Because sometimes, recovery starts with feeling seen.
The Lovejoy Foundation – LA Wildfire Relief Grant
In the aftermath of the LA wildfires, The Lovejoy Foundation stepped up to care for family members often overlooked in disaster response – our pets. From food to emergency supplies, their support has been a lifeline for both animals and the people who love them. Because healing feels a little more possible with a furry friend by your side.
It’s Bigger Than Us – LA Wildfire Relief Grant
Recovery doesn’t happen all at once, and It’s Bigger Than Us knows that well. After the Southern California wildfires, they’ve been walking alongside families every step of the way, offering not just aid, but long-term care, connection, and community. Because kindness doesn’t stop at the first step.
Project:Camp – LA Wildfire Relief Grant
After the LA wildfires, Project:Camp brought joy, structure, and emotional support to kids who needed it most. Their pop-up day camps are more than fun, they’re powerful tools for healing and restoring a sense of normalcy after trauma.
Altadena Girls – LA Wildfire Relief Grant
When the Eaton Fire disrupted life in Altadena, 14-year-old Avery Colvert noticed something others missed: teen girls were quietly struggling. So she launched Altadena Girls, a grassroots effort to bring dignity, comfort, and care back to her peers. What started small became a powerful ripple of teen-led kindness.
Altadena Community Church – LA Wildfire Relief Grant
After the Eaton Fire destroyed their building, Altadena Community Church didn’t just mourn… they kept showing up. This story of resilience, interfaith support, and community care reminds us what thriving communities are truly built on.
Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center – LA Wildfire Relief Grant
When the Eaton Fire destroyed the Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center, what emerged wasn’t just a story of loss… it was a story of resilience, interfaith unity, and the power of community. This story reminds us that the soul of a community isn’t in its buildings, but in the people who show up for one another.
For more information on recipients and the impact of these Kindness Grants, be sure to follow us on Instagram @the_kindness_mvmt
Go Be Your Best Self – Spread Kindness – One Small Act at a Time.
