Every month, KIND supports individuals and organizations working to make the world a little kinder with $10,000 through its KIND Causes platform. We caught up with four winners who are each doing pretty incredible things to give back to communities around the country and beyond.
Danny Mendoza
Founder of Together We Rise at age 19 after discovering his nine-year-old cousin sleeping in a car. After learning that kids entering foster care are given two black trash bags to carry their belongings, Danny decided to take action. He has since changed the way young people travel from home to home through the distribution of suitcases packed with living essentials.
Lauren Book
A child sexual abuse survivor turned internationally-recognized prevention advocate. Armed with the knowledge that one in three girls will get sexually abused before they are 18 – and 95 percent of sexual abuse is preventable through education –Lauren sought to turn her experience into a vehicle to prevent abuse and heal survivors. She founded Lauren’s Kids and has since reached tens of thousands with the message that it’s OK to tell.
Fania Castro
Co-founder of the Elastic Mind Project (EMP), which aims to end generational poverty for kids in Codito – a barrio of Bogota, Colombia. An architect by trade, Fania started EMP after experiencing firsthand the systemic issues facing its people. Together with a small team (none of whom have a background in non-profits or international law), Fania brings educational and cultural programs, including yoga, meditation and fitness, to some of the city’s most impoverished barrios. Though the issues are complex, her mission is simple: help these kids achieve something they might not otherwise achieve.
Alex Radelich
Founder of ARK Project Now, which is rooted in a simple question: “What would happen if kindness became normal?” Alex left Purdue and set out performing acts of random kindness (“ARKs”) across the country. He soon discovered that kindness is more than just a good idea – it’s transformational. In his words, “every act of random kindness has the capacity to change someone’s life.” Today, the 21-year-old has completed two kindness tours and next will tackle bringing an ARK curriculum to America’s elementary schools.
