Today, we’d like to introduce you to Laura Reiss.
Hi Laura, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I first conceptualized what Kindness Matters 365 (KM365) is today in 2008. I had three young daughters and noticed something was missing in their formal education. There was a need to guide kids in discovering how to best care for themselves, each other, and our world. I also wanted my children to be in a community where kind people and kindness surrounded them.
I went to our local elementary school and asked if I could start a free afterschool program where I shared with the children the importance of taking care of themselves, each other and giving back; contributing where they wanted to and where they could. The school gave me the green light, and I formulated a model for how I envisioned the program to run, then I got to really playing and creating.
Some of these kids had no idea about their self-worth, power, and their value. I was afforded the privilege of being there with and for them, connecting and engaging, supporting, guiding and watching them transform and thrive. Whenever we met in those initial Kindness meetings, we brought in a different speaker or organization to share how they did their part to give back to our communities and beyond.
The children would engage in hands-on, age-appropriate projects that gave back to these organizations and foundations, and they loved it. This Kindness program was so successful that word spread, and soon other parents and other schools were reaching out; everyone wanted a Kindness program at their school. I realized I was on to something bigger than I’d imagined.
So, step by step and with tremendous support, I began formally establishing a foundation that supported our kids to build the strength of character and emotional well-being to feel good, handle challenges, flourish in school, and be leaders in our communities. I created a program model that could be used and expanded in every community and for all children, and slowly but surely, we began to grow and gain traction here in South Florida and throughout the Country. It didn’t happen overnight; it took a lot of work, effort, support, and patience.
But in 2014, the Kindness Matters 365 Foundation (KM365) became a formally established 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to supporting the emotional well-being of ALL children and teens. I created an Ambassador training program to teach kind-minded individuals the model so they could run their own clubs. I invited people into my home for monthly training meetings, put together a strong Executive Board, and the KM365 Kindness programs started popping up all over South Florida.
KM365 is a joyous atmosphere for all involved, sitting together, engaging and connecting meaningfully, and putting kindness into actionable service. When the children were learning, the adults were learning. I could see and feel the transformations that were taking place. Many educators agree you can never have enough time to teach kids empathy, so for us to wrap that into a club was just a win-win.
To date, we have a robust, unified, committed team and Executive Board. We’ve trained over 1,000+ Ambassadors, provided programming to over 26,000+ participants, raised over $4.5 million in disaster relief goods and funds, granted 764,000 community service hours to our youth program participants, and served 360 charities nationwide through KM365 initiatives and programs.
We are proud to have 100 active KM365 clubs and programs operating in 12 states nationwide. And we are growing stronger every day. Anything is possible. Global kindness is possible, and it starts here and now with our children. It takes a village, and we would not be where we are if it weren’t for the support of our entire Kindness family.
Everyone who has shown up to volunteer, become an Ambassador, run a club, wore our merch, has driven around with our KM365 magnets on their cars; everyone who follows our social media platforms, donates to our programming, and attends our events helps make KM365 what it is today. I want to leave this world better than I found it, and through building KM365 and our life-changing work, I have found my true purpose.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As it did for everyone, the pandemic created many challenges for us. Our 100-plus programs were onsite in schools, and schools were closed; simultaneously, reaching children to support their emotional well-being, community service, and taking care of ourselves and each other were never more important.
Our foundation beautifully evolved to address current needs and build for the future during and since the pandemic. Like most small businesses and organizations, we had to pivot and transform in a big way. We developed an entirely new model and approach to continue to get our vital programs in the hands of children and teens who needed them more than ever.
We learned how to provide our programming online and created our Kindness Anywhere virtual online program, an accessible model that is still tremendously successful today. We saw a silver lining as we approached the end of the turbulent 2020/21 school year—one that our youth and educators faced bravely, boldly, and with abandon.
That silver lining was our children’s resiliency and ability to think optimistically, part of a skillset fostered by our programs. Pandemic aside, as with any small business or foundation, we experience day-to-day challenges—funding, human resources, establishing measures that quantify our impact, expanding our outreach and efficacy—for which we must constantly evolve and pivot to adapt and overcome.
One of the ways we learned to address these and many more constant challenges is to partner with our community for support. We are also beyond grateful for the generosity of our incredible donors and grantors – support that always significantly impacts so many children, especially during challenging times. Fundraising, Human Resources, and Volunteers: Most people don’t realize the funding and talent it takes to create, support, and expand this amazing program each year.
Each program needs a volunteer Ambassador Leader; – and currently, we run over 100 programs in kindergarten through high school in 12 states (and looking to expand year over year); we train hundreds of Ambassador Leaders annually and refresh each current Ambassador’s training each year; we provide an on-demand, on-line resource library with 12 months of essential meeting plans and programming resources/tools.
To overcome these obstacles, we write grants, develop Corporate Social Responsibility partnerships, engage in fundraising campaigns for support from our amazing donors, and hire/recruit the best staff and volunteers we are able. We rely on our outstanding Executive Board, made up of some committed, kind-minded, hardworking human beings.
We implemented a solid Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative to which our Foundation is committed. We’ve expanded our school-based clubs, virtual programs, and online Resource Library; we’ve trained new Ambassador leaders and further developed our Teen Leadership program. We created an Advisory Council of diverse and talented professionals who advise and guide us.
Life has many ups and downs, highs and lows. Now I better understand the importance of learning through challenges and celebrating progress. Adapting, evolving, and pivoting in the face of challenges are all part of the human experience and what supports our growth and development.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
To say it’s difficult growing up in these times would be an understatement. There’s a lot of stress, anxiety, intolerance, and bullying. The climate we live in today makes what we’re doing that much more significant. I started the Kindness Matters 365 Foundation because all children should live in a world filled with gratitude, compassion, and kindness.
A world where kids and teens have emotional well-being, feel supported and accepted, develop the skills to cope with challenges and achieve their full potential. Through education and community engagement, KM365 guides kids and teens in exploring and discovering how to care for themselves, each other, and our world.
People have asked, time and time again, what credentials qualified me to dream up this Foundation. The truth is, I was fortunate to have parents who raised me well: loving, encouraging, incredible parents who modeled for me what it meant to be grateful, compassionate, and kind. Then, I raised my children with those same values and parlayed those life experiences into our KM365 programming.
The data, testimonials and our growth demonstrate how it is working! Through KM365, we aim to support all children with the essential life skills and experiences they can use to grow with purpose and achieve every success they dream for themselves. Let’s take the time to guide, support, listen, lead, and genuinely love our children.
The result is kind, compassionate, well-adjusted human beings. It takes patience and work, but doesn’t that apply to anything worth it? I am so proud of who KM365 is today and where it is. With the support of so many, we have 16 years of success as a multi-dimensional educational program of onsite and virtual school clubs’ grades pre-k through college, teacher/parent workshops, and community service opportunities.
We developed a formalized approach to teaching kindness that bolsters cognitive intelligence and provides the opportunity to practice skills through community engagement. As participants in KM365 programs, children and teens actively develop life skills, resiliency, healthier relationships, safer environments, and stronger communities.
They collaborate with local charitable organizations to provide direct service to the community with neighbors. They donate their hair, paint and build houses, collect items and food for organizations in need, make cards for soldiers—and so much more. Our programs address a gap in traditional education. Our focus is on self-awareness, self-regulation, a growth mindset, and service learning.
These vital life skills result in more resilient and healthier students, better relationships, safer environments, and stronger communities while helping them become their best versions. Our unique three-phase approach teaches kindness to yourself, each other, and the community. These learning initiatives are proven effective in helping reduce stress, anxiety, and depression – all of which contribute to bullying, dropping out of school, teen suicide, and school shootings.
Our work is needed now more than ever. KM365 guides young developing minds and inspires kids to be leaders, not bullies. Our programs provide the resources and tools necessary to help transform kids from feeling worthless to worthy, isolated to included, fearful to empowered, intolerant to kind.
We contribute to creating a kinder, safer, more inclusive world by putting our programming into the hands and hearts of children of all ages, abilities, and demographics. Together, we help our kids navigate this crazy, beautiful thing called life and emerge as resilient, empowered, compassionate, and KIND human beings who know they matter.
Together, we have made, and we will continue to make, a profound, positive impact on the world, one child, one family, one school, one community, one state, and one country at a time. The work we do now will ensure a better future. I believe in a world where we celebrate and support each other, and I manifest it every day.
With a heart filled with gratitude for the many accomplishments of our KM365 Foundation and knowing we have so much more to do, my commitment is that our children and their children’s children are raising families in a better world.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
If interested, you can:
- Bring a Km365 program to your school or community (contact [email protected]to find out more).
- Donate to support programs that foster the development and well-being of children and youth: https://kindnessmatters365.org/donate/
- Follow us on social media to see what initiatives we have going on and participate.
- Volunteer / visit our community service page for ideas and events at:
https://kindnessmatters365.org/about/donate-or-take-goods/#1627660468774-8d2b898e-777b - Spread kindness in your own way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kindnessmatters365.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kindnessmatters365/ and https://www.instagram.com/laurawaldorfreiss/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kindnessmatters365org/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/kindness-matters-365/about/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kmatters365
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz7kxe9K8wJyE8AcLpwkrzQ
Image Credits
Mia Lynn Photography, Andrea Blakesberg Photography, and Nilaya Sabnis
