While browsing Facebook, Jennifer Hodnett found a friend who bought a stranger’s meal in Lakeside Dining using the hashtag #RandomActsofKindness.
She Googled the phrase and discovered the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation’s website. The organization had a map of where clubs existed, and Hodnett noticed Alabama didn’t have a chapter.
“From there, it clicked. I realized this could be my thing. This could be what I do,” Hodnett said.
Hodnett is now the president of Crimson Kindness, a club centered on spreading kindness to virtually everyone. She said the organization is defined by three simple goals: creating a community of kindness, engaging the population in acts of kindness and inspiring kindness in the community.
“I started thinking to myself, ‘Hey, I can do something here. I can start making a difference on campus,’” Hodnett said. “I was kind of looking for something to do without even knowing it. I wanted to make a difference on campus, but I really didn’t know how or what to do.”
The club now has 60 members, including a leadership board and team leaders. Spencer Davis, relations coordinator of the organization, said the goal of Crimson Kindness is to spread acts of kindness throughout the campus as well as the entire community.
“We want to include as many people as possible and make a difference in each person’s life,” Davis said.
Members of the leadership board do the overall planning, come up with ideas and narrow down what Crimson Kindness can do based on the budget. Each of?cer on the board is assigned to a team leader.
“Our job is to offer support to each team leader,” Davis said.
Brian Crooks, a team leader of Crimson Kindness, said he is responsible for keeping his team on track and presenting the message for the organization.
“Team leaders are the people responsible for leading the members in biweekly activities that are meant to spread kindness and encourage others,” Crooks said.
Each member of Crimson Kindness said being a part of the organization has bene?ted them.
“I’m a little bit addicted to kindness,” Hodnett said.
Taylor Sheeran, a member of the organization, said Crimson Kindness has given her the opportunity to meet new people, get involved on campus and in the Tuscaloosa community, and make the place she lives happier and kinder.
“I love being a part of Crimson Kindness and making my campus a better place to live,” Sheeran said.
Hodnett said the organization has many exciting events coming up.
“We will be giving out encouragement packages the Wednesday and Thursday of dead week,” Hodnett said. “We will be incorporating a Random Acts of Kindness Week on Feb. 10-16, where we are planning to partner up with other student organizations or departments and give them a list of ideas and allow them to choose different acts of kindness related to their speci?c departments and target audiences.”
Hodnett said Crimson Kindness members will also be holding up inspirational posters for Posters of Kindness as well as challenging students to smile at everyone they pass or introduce themselves to strangers during the organization’s Random Acts of Kindness Challenges. A Make Kindness Count Campaign will also be taking place, during which Crimson Kindness can measure students’ impact by tracking their acts of kindness.
“The goal is for us to reach 2,000 random acts of kindness by the time the school year is over,” Hodnett said.
Anyone can become a member by registering at crimsonkindness.com. The dues are $10 a year, but Hodnett said she hopes to one day have the organization fully funded.
