About Us
Kindness Activist is a non-profit organization that exists to carry out, encourage, and shine light on intentional and random acts of kindness. We share stories of these acts to inspire others to join in the movement and spread their own acts of kindness, thus creating stronger communities.
Every human being deserves kindness.
Is there kindness in the world? Even on hard days? Even when things feel bleak? If you squint your eyes and really look for it – can you find it? That question was the premise of a life changing experiment for Susan Thompson-Gaines. In 2015, she intentionally shifted her daily focus to look for any evidence of kindness – received, given, or witnessed, both in her personal life and in the world around her. And when she noticed acts of kindness, she wrote about them, then shared the stories.
This was a big test: Would openly talking about kindness help spread it? The answer was a resounding YES. And that is when Kindness Activist was born in South Arlington, Virginia.
Sharing stories of kindness creates ripples of kindness. People who hear stories of kind acts are inspired to be kind. The ripple effect caused by intentionally and openly talking about kindness is infectious and undeniable. Kindness shared, inspires kindness.
At Kindness Activist, we embrace intentional acts of kindness. Kind acts can be random and spontaneous, like holding the door open for a stranger, or paying for a stranger’s breakfast. We seek to grow intentional acts of kindness, like collecting food for those who don’t have enough, delighting a ward full of hard-working nurses with flowers “just because”, surprising a stranger with a gift, or giving special toys to kids during the holidays.
We celebrate and talk about all forms of kindness! We know that talking openly about kindness makes your heart happier, your spirit lighter and your soul more grounded. And more importantly, sharing stories of kindness inspires other to go out and spread kindness, too.
In March of 2024, Kindness Activist became a 501(c)(3) (EID 99-2827387). We have supporters from all around the country. Many of them have rolled up their sleeves to help out and pitch in. We are proud of what we have accomplished in our first decade and delighted to see where kindness leads.
Susan Thompson-Gaines and her husband David, live in a big yellow house that is fondly known in their community as the Kindness House. Read their story and what inspires them to share kindness, and why Kindness Activist is a very important part of their lives.