A small act of kindness is a burst of loving energy shared by one person with another. Often, when someone receives unexpected kindness, they’re inspired to share a little of it with others. With KIND30, it’s our hope that people from all walks of life can - even if for just a moment - put aside any perceived differences and share the kindness that lives inside each of us. Ultimately, those shared small kind acts will help to unite us all.

In the Spring of 2024, three Atlanta women who have known each other for years in differing capacities came together. They combined their passions, talents, and personal resources to help engage thousands of others in committing to kindness every day.

Beth Abernathy, a longtime corporate CEO and non-profit board member, began buying a candy bar for the person who bagged her items during each visit to the grocery store. She was overwhelmed by how such a small act of kindness gave so much pleasure to the recipient. But she was even more taken aback by how good it made her feel to continue this practice, eventually making it her habit.

Diane Moffett, an active community volunteer and mother of two, had seen so many people from all walks of life struggling with mental wellness. Realizing that too many are unable to access the mental health resources they need, Diane started a non-profit initiative called One Lamb. This initiative seeks to make mental wellness an ongoing community conversation. One of the things she soon discovered is that there is an epidemic of loneliness plaguing America. The research shows that kindness can be part of the cure.

Julie Salisbury is a communications executive and a multi-faceted non-profit leader. She works mostly with organizations that serve children and families, or that work to achieve social justice. Over the past ten years, she’s become a student of movement-building and applies her knowledge to non-profit communications.

Beth and her candy bars became the catalyst that brought the three women together to convene the first KIND30. “I heard Diane speaking about a New York Times article on the epidemic of loneliness, and how even the smallest of kind interactions can have a positive impact on mental health,” Beth recalls. “I thought about my own experience with the candy bars and wondered what it would be like if we were all more intentional about spreading kindness each day! So then I called Julie.”

The women quickly formed a team, initially looking to launch the program inside their shared place of worship – Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Atlanta. But they soon realized that their focus was too small, given that the motivation to be kind is a unifying thread among all faiths, and truly among all people, age ranges, income streams, value systems, cultures, and walks of life. They settled on a simple premise that asks people to commit a simple and intentional act of kindness once a day for 30 days, because “Kindness Is Needed Daily.” The group selected October 2024 for its launch, centering around October 10th as World Mental Health Day.

The KIND30 program is now open to all places of faith, workplaces large and small, colleges, schools, families, individuals, community organizations and clubs. There are KIND ideas for all age ranges on the website, www.kind30.org. The ultimate goal is to inspire a nationwide movement that unifies a diverse array of people of all backgrounds and ideologies to choose to be more kind, every single day.

An Update! KIND30 launched its first effort in October 2024. Tens of thousands participated from all across the country and from all walks of life. From corporations as large as Delta Air Lines, Home Depot, GE Appliances and RaceTrac, to groups as small as a local Lions Club Chapter in Cobb County, Georgia, all who participated embraced the efforts and put their own unique spin on what it means to be KIND. People of many different faiths, senior living communities, schools and even preschools spent 30 days learning that Kindness Is Needed Daily.