Kind Cotton Co-Founder Kaitlin was recently interviewed by ShoutoutLA - below is the story!
The day was filled with happiness and gratitude. From the moment I walked through the doors and saw the beautifully decorated welcome Kind Cotton signs on the walls, I knew it was going to be a good day.
We gave away over 700 books and here are some of the key takeaways from the day:
The local elementary school we visited intentionally requested a Kind Cotton free book fair because the week prior they held a school-wide book fair in which not all children could take a book home for financial reasons.
Kids were beyond excited to grab a free book at our event and we want to extend a massive thank you to all of you! Your support of our mission makes this possible.
Takeaways from our visit:
This episode is all about finding and using your voice to inspire change. By speaking out and taking a stand on an important issue, YOU can be the initial ripple to create positive change in our world that’s so desperately needed.
Listen to the episode below and check out Alexis' full blog about the episode here
Listen to "Ep. 31 - Finding Your Voice (with Kaitlin Johnstone)" on Spreaker.]]>
A few weeks ago we heard about the amazing new space that ALSO Youth was creating in our former city of Bradenton, Florida and wanted to get involved. We were so excited to be able to connect with them, and they were just as excited to partner!
@kindcotton Thank you for all the love and support of this line #lgbtqbooks #protectlgbtyouth #smallbusiness #kindcotton #redefinekindness ♬ Aesthetic - Tollan Kim
We are beyond proud to be a part of helping youth and young adults in the Sarasota/Manatee area feel seen, loved, and represented. Purchases from our Pride Collection specifically make this possible.
Our Manatee Co. Center Grand Opening is TOMORROW! We are so excited to share this milestone with you-- the community that made it all possible. Special thanks to @kind_cotton for the HUGE donation of affirming and empowering books for our youth! 🌈❤️ pic.twitter.com/fSXbYpBxup— ALSO Youth (@ALSOYouth) January 20, 2023
Thank you to everyone who has purchased something from our pride line so far!
More on ALSO Youth: https://www.alsoyouth.org/
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In 2022 we moved to Maryland which gave us an entire basement - an incredible amount of space! - to operate out of. As we continued to grow our garage has become a storage unit for Kind Cotton. Now, we're finally ready to take the next step!
This is a HUGE move for us. One that's been in the works for nearly 6 months now, and will finally be completely in a couple weeks. We've dragged it out in order to ensure that we could still deliver amazing products to you awesome people without missing a beat.
The final steps of the move will be the hardest, and we just wanted to ask that everyone have a little bit of patience with us. We're doing everything we can to ensure that no orders are affected, and availability of products doesn't change, but it's difficult.
Please bear with us over the next couple weeks as we complete the move. You may notice orders taking an extra day or two to ship. You may notice more out of stock products than usual. But once this move is complete things will be better than ever! We can be back to focusing on how to create the most impactful, kindness-spreading products the world has ever seen - while giving books to children through it all.
Thank you ALL for coming on this ride with us - your purchases have made this all possible and we look forward to continuing to grow with you into the future!
Kaitlin & Kevin
Co-Founders, Kind Cotton
]]>Meet Kaitlin Johnstone
We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kaitlin Johnstone a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kailtin and Kevin Johnstone are partners in life and business. As children, our fondest memories revolve around stories. Kaitlin’s mom & dad would tuck her in, give her a kiss goodnight, & share the adventures of Goofy, Donald, & Mickey. The Disney collection was her favorite. Kevin remembers insisting that his mom read the same baseball book to him every night, religiously. Kaitlin became a Kindergarten teacher & realized the importance of children reading books that interest them and having these books at home. Often times, she found herself buying books for her students to bring home and stocking her classroom library with titles her students could keep. She began passionately looking into the inequities of literacy access and wanted to do something more. Kevin knew he could help out. We created Kind Cotton to allow people to provide the magical experience of books to as many children as possible, all through our kindness-spreading clothing. Every purchase provides a book directly to a child.
Kind Cotton is a small clothing brand dedciated to putting books into the hands of kids. I started Kind Cotton after 3 years in the classroom as a Kindergarten teacher. I had a vision of spreading a message of true kindness through clothes that would have a huge impact. Every purchase from our website equals a book for a child. To date we have donated over 82,000 books to children all across the country through our Kind Cotton reading program. We get involved with many different ways to donate books including: One School, One Book Donations; Selected elementary schools will receive a book with a theme of kindness and inclusion for every child. Schools will choose a day in which every eduactor reads the book, creates a lesson to go with it, and passes out a copy for each child to keep!
Nominate a Teacher Program; We have helped over 250 teachers create a more inclusive library that we craft specific to grade level and need
In Person Reading Programs; When we initally started Kind Cotton, I also started a reading program in which I would attend a local elementary school a few times a month and implement a fun and engaging literacy activity. At the end of the day, each child would receive a copy of the book I read.
90% of the books we donate are from either BIPOC, LGBTQ+, or Disabled authors. We believe in providing books that are rich and representation and provide ALL children an opportunity to feel loved, valued, and safe.
On top of the book donations, we are on a very active mission of spreading a message of true kindness through the clothing we create and resources we share. We believe that kindness should be more than simple pleasantries. It needs to be rooted in justice and grounded in action in order to cultivate change in our world. Every project we take on at Kind Cotton revolves around this mission of kindness.
We started Kind Cotton 5 years ago and I immediately created an Instagram account. After about a month I realized I needed to be more personal as opposed to product driven. Customers want to know your story, what inspires you to create, lessons you have learned along the way. They want to share in your joy and grieve in your sorrow in order to know you are human. I am grateful that I have made the choice to make Kind Cotton so personal. In fact, each time we release a new tee, we also write a blog to go with it explaining our personal connection to the product. This has created a community for us.
We also believe very passionately in the power of standing strong in your convictions and what we believe as a company. We are very social justice oriented and do the work to continue to grow, learn, and change in order to hopefully make an impact. Because of this, we have created a strong following who is passionate about what we believe. They look to us for book reccomendations as well as action steps for a better future.
My advice for anyone starting out is foster real connections and remember quality of followers over quantity.
When I had the initial idea to start Kind Cotton, I immediately told my husband. He was working in custom apparel at the time and we thought that my education background combined with his apparel knowledge would be the PERFECT combination and it has been. Many may think that working with your life partner would be hard, but we are the perfect combination. I am the dreamer and he’s the logistics. I’m the social butterfly and he’s the man behind the screen. I have a new idea, he makes it happen. I send him a blog about a new product idea that has to go out in 30 minutes, he has it done in 29.
There is beauty in working with someone who is just as passionate about your mission as you are and I am eternally grateful that I have found that in Kevin.
Contact Info:
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Each child at the K-2 school received a copy of I Believe I Can by Grace Byers as they reentered school from winter break. The students were extremely happy and grateful to have their very own book that they got to take home! We are looking forward to doing something like this every month this year and that would not be possible without all of you!
If you are looking to sponsor an entire school, such as the one above, we now have an option for that as well! For $750, the sponsorship provides every child at a K-5 school a copy of a book centered on kindness as part of a school-wide program to foster literacy and kindness. Included with this sponsorship is a gift bundle valued at $100 mailed directly to you!
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We had the good fortune of connecting with Kaitlin Johnstone and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Kaitlin, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Kailtin and Kevin Johnstone are partners in life and business. As children, our fondest memories revolve around stories. Kaitlin’s mom & dad would tuck her in, give her a kiss goodnight, & share the adventures of Goofy, Donald, & Mickey. The Disney collection was her favorite. Kevin remembers insisting that his mom read the same baseball book to him every night, religiously. Kaitlin became a Kindergarten teacher & realized the importance of children reading books that interest them and having these books at home. Often times, she found herself buying books for her students to bring home and stocking her classroom library with titles her students could keep. She began passionately looking into the inequities of literacy access and wanted to do something more. Kevin knew he could help out. We created Kind Cotton to allow people to provide the magical experience of books to as many children as possible, all through our kindness-spreading clothing. Every purchase provides a book directly to a child.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Kind Cotton was started 5 years ago now, simply because I wanted my students to have access to books in their homes. When we first started the company I can remember running to the mailbox to ship one package a day and knowing that if zi could ship one package each day for the entire month then I could fund the reading program I started, in which every child got to take home a copy of the book I read to them. We are now putting thousands of books into the hands of kids in one month and along with that has come many challenges. If it weren’t for those challenges, however we would not be where we are.
We also believe very passionately about provining inclusive books to children and with the highly political climate we all find ourseleves in, we absolutely receive backlash for that. With that being said, it is our firm belief that every single child deserves to feel seen, loved, and valued when opening a book and we will never change that mission.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
When it comes to the success of Kind Cotton, I have to give the BIGGEST shoutout to my husband, Kevin. I am often the face of Kind Cotton. The one on social media and at the book events. The one featured in articles like this. However, my partner is the one who keeps Kind Cotton running. He builds the website, helps ship the packages, manages ALL of our marketing, etc. He is a beautiful part of our company, that often does not get recognized. So, here’s to my rock, Kevin.
Website: www.kindcotton.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/kindcotton
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kindcottonclothing
Things have changed so much over the past 5 years, mainly for the good. We've seen our business evolve and grow in ways we never expected. We've seen and heard incredible stories from customers on how our shirts have impacted them. And most importantly we've seen the impact on children from the books we're providing thanks to your purchases.
Many of you know that I've been behind the scenes since the beginning, but 2 weeks ago I decided to finally take the leap and leave my full time job to work alongside Kaitlin running Kind Cotton.
What does this mean for the future of the business and for you, our customer? Honestly probably not too much. Like I said, I've always been helping as much as I could. But now there is more time. Not only time for me to work to improve the brand, but also in my personal life. It's been incredibly challenging to balance a full time job, a fast-growing side hustle, and any personal/family life at all. I'm glad those three things have now been consolidated to just two.
To get back to the changes you can expect... here is a quick glance into some of the impact I'm hoping to have in the next few weeks/months/years:
Premium products that create an impact is what we do best.
We want every interaction with our brand to be overwhelmingly positive.
It's been difficult, to say the least, for the two of us to keep up with shipping orders. We're finding ways to fix that and get orders in your hands quicker than ever.
The list could go on and on but it boils down to these 3 big categories. We have a lot of incredible ideas we're ready to bring to life, so get ready! I'm so excited to get started and thank you for helping us grow to the point where we're both able to work on Kind Cotton full time to bring products that create impactful change while giving back. And most importantly, thank you to Kaitlin who has been the best business partner and wife I could ever ask for. Let's keep this rolling.
- Kevin
]]>Clothing brand based in Florida, Kind Cotton, celebrated the holidays today by providing a book and custom bag to each child at Harmony Elementary.
Monroe, GA: Harmony elementary students had a surprise this morning when they each found their own book and custom bag waiting for them at their desk, courtesy of Kind Cotton, a Florida-based brand with a mission to promote and encourage childhood literacy throughout the United States. In total, Kind Cotton provided 725 books and blankets to Harmony Elementary school this morning to celebrate the school’s annual Book event. “We were so excited to receive books and bags for every child at our school. This means so much for the Harmony family. We are incredibly grateful to all the work Kind Cotton has done to get books into the hands of every child here”, Instructional Coach, Nita Creekmore stated. The Cool Bean was the book of choice for the entire school. It’s a beautiful story of inclusion and kindness; the perfect story for the companies’ mission. Teachers throughout the school then focused on extension activities to reinforce the concept that kindness can truly make a difference in the world. Children were also provided an At-Home guide to send home with the books and bags. “We wanted to do something really special because providing the gift of story is so very important; and who doesn’t love to have their own bag to place their favorite books in?”, said Kaitlin Johnstone, co-founder of Kind Cotton. “Along with spreading kindness, our primary goal is to promote and encourage literacy, so to be able to provide these books to the students of Harmony makes us really proud.” Kind Cotton sells clothing and accessories designed to spread compassion and empathy, with every purchase helping to provide books to children globally. They also make monthly trips to a local elementary school in Florida, where they read to children, do literacy-based activities with them, and give a book to each child to take home.
About Kind Cotton: Kind Cotton promotes and encourages childhood literacy in the Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida community through clothing & accessories designed to spread kindness. With every purchase, a book is provided to a child. More than just a donation, the company is focused on making a real impact on each child by personally working with them to develop and enhance reading skills as well as cultivate a passion for reading through engaging literacy opportunities.
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Each child received a copy of The Cool Bean to take home with them! We have various "one school, one book" events each year and this year we thought The Cool Bean was the perfect book to focus on kindness. Counselor Lauren Jones was thrilled to partner with us as Stories Creek Elementary has had a huge focus on empathy, kindness, and inclusion this school year. “The students and staff were incredibly excited about their books and look forward to working with Kind Cotton in the future", exclaimed Lauren.
It is our hope to have a school event each month in 2022 and we are incredibly grateful for all of your support!
Kind Cotton Partners with High School Author Surayyah Fofana to Distribute Children's Book, RayRay Paints a Self Portrait
November 6, 2021
Charitable organization Kind Cotton and author Surayyah Fofana have teamed up to distribute Ms. Fofana's first self-published children's book, RayRay Paints a Self Portrait, to schools. Kind Cotton is a company founded by Kaitlin Johnstone, a kindergarten teacher and her husband Kevin. Since 2017, Kind Cotton has been working to bring the magic of books to children on a global scale.
How Kind Cotton Brings Books to Children
Pre-pandemic, the team at Kind Cotton made monthly trips to local elementary schools to host reading events. These reading events were fun and educational literacy activities, and at the end, every child would leave with a book.
In the present day, Kind Cotton has found many other ways to put books in the hands of children, such as their Nominate a Teacher program. With the Nominate a Teacher program, Kind Cotton chooses a different educator every Tuesday, and provides books to that educator.
As part of the partnership with Ms. Fofana, RayRay Paints a Self-Portrait will be featured on the Kind Cotton website and donated to kids at schools around the country. With a one-for-one business model, every Kind Cotton purchase made means a book is donated directly to a child or classroom. To date, the company has provided over 35,000 books to children.
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About Surayyah Fofana:
Surayyah “RayRay” Fofana is a 16 year old high student, activist, dancer and writer with a full head of phenomenally curly hair. RayRay Paints a Self-Portrait is her first ever children’s book. It’s based on her own experience as well experiences of families and children with varied racial, ethnic and/or religious backgrounds. Surayyah is interested in raising awareness around all things tied to race, culture and diversity and creating a better, more inclusive world. She hopes this book can give readers an honest, warm and welcoming idea of a diverse home, much like the one she has has grown up in.
About Kind Cotton - www.kindcotton.com
Since 2017, Kind Cotton has been working to bring the magic of books to children globally. With a one-for-one business model, every Kind Cotton purchase made means a book is donated directly to a child or classroom. To date the company has provided over 35,000 books to children. The company makes a lasting impact on childhood literacy by working directly with children and educators to develop and enhance reading skills as well as cultivate a passion for reading through engaging literacy opportunities.
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August 16, 2021 — Austin, Texas — Mighty Kind, the anti-bias education company that publishes a quarterly series for kids using kindness and compassion as a foundation for anti-bias/anti-racist learning, has partnered with Kind Cotton to launch ‘Radicalize Kindness’, a campaign rooted in spreading kindness across the two brands’ collective communities. Known for their ‘Be Kind’ t-shirt, Kind Cotton helps to put books in the hands of children with every purchase.
As part of the campaign, Kind Cotton will release a limited edition “Radicalize Kindness” t-shirt for kids and adults. Proceeds from the sales of this tee will not only put a book in the hands of a child, but $5 from every purchase will go toward supplying copies of Mighty Kind to children.
Mighty Kind and Kind Cotton have a shared belief that kindness should be rooted in justice and pushed forward with intentional action. Kindness is more than simple pleasantries and performances; it’s inclusive and bold and requires us all to take part.
“We’re so excited to collaborate with Kind Cotton on a campaign that exemplifies our aligned mission of calling on a community who cares to take action,” shared Nadine Fonseca, Co-Founder and CEO of Mighty Kind. “We believe it is important to spread kindness, not only among the future generation, but for adults to model and engage as well. When we move beyond simple pleasantries, we have the opportunity to learn, grow, serve, and truly connect with others-- even when it is outside our comfort zone.”
ABOUT MIGHTY KIND
Mighty Kind is an anti-bias education company that independently publishes a children’s series celebrating the role of kindness and compassion as a foundation for anti-bias learning and in bringing the world closer together. Full of fun facts about the world we share, stories about kids doing good and actionable ideas for making an impacts, Mighty Kind is a resource to inspire a generation of kids who care. Released quarterly.
ABOUT KIND COTTON
Kind Cotton promotes true kindness and encourages childhood literacy through clothing & accessories. With every purchase, a book is given to a child in the community. More than just a donation, the company is focused on making a real impact on each child by personally working with them to develop and enhance reading skills.
For more information, or press inquiries, please email mightykind@laruepr.com
Follow along on socials @mightykindkids and @kindcotton
]]>Monroe, GA: Harmony elementary students had a surprise this morning when they each found their own book and blanket waiting for them at their desk, courtesy of Kind Cotton, a Florida-based brand with a mission to promote and encourage childhood literacy throughout the United States. In total, Kind Cotton provided over 700 books and blankets to Harmony Elementary school this morning to celebrate the school’s annual Books and Blankets event.
“We were so excited to receive books and blankets for every child at our school. This means so much for the Harmony Hawk family. We are incredibly grateful to all the work Kind Cotton has done to get books into the hands of every child here at Harmony elementary”, Instructional Coach, Nita Creekmore stated.
The Invisible Boy was the book of choice for the entire school. It’s a beautiful story of inclusion and kindness; the perfect story for the companies’ mission. Teachers throughout the school then focused on extension activities to reinforce the concept that kindness can truly make a difference in the world. Children were also provided an at-home guide with the books and blankets.
“We wanted to do something really special because providing the gift of story is so very important; and who doesn’t love to cuddle up with a nice cozy blanket when enjoying a good book?”, said Kaitlin Johnstone, co-founder of Kind Cotton. “Along with spreading kindness, our primary goal is to promote and encourage literacy, so to be able to provide these books to the students of Harmony makes us really proud.”
Kind Cotton sells clothing and accessories designed to spread compassion and empathy, with every purchase helping to provide books to children globally. They also make monthly trips to a local elementary school in Florida, where they read to children, do literacy-based activities with them, and give a book to each child to take home.
]]>Women’s clothing startup, Kind Cotton, celebrated World Kindness Day today by providing a book to each child at Joseph A. Fowler Elementary in Killeen.
Killeen, TX: Joseph A. Fowler Elementary students had a surprise this morning when they each had their own book waiting for them, courtesy of Kind Cotton, a Florida-based clothing brand with a mission to promote and encourage childhood literacy throughout the United States. In total, Kind Cotton provided over 800 books to Joseph A. Fowler Elementary this morning to celebrate World Kindness Day, along with PPE for teachers and staff.
School staff wanted to celebrate World Kindness Day in a special way during this turbulent year, honoring students and staff who have dealt with the many challenges thrown at them as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The partnership with Kind Cotton gave Joseph A. Fowler Elementary the perfect opportunity to show their gratitude to staff and students. Joseph A. Fowler counselor Kathy Phillips was so appreciative to Kind Cotton for the donation, “This is just so awesome! Thank you is not enough!”
The Good Egg was the book of choice for the entire school. It’s a beautiful story of self-love, perseverance, and kindness. “We wanted to do something really special because World Kindness Day is such an important day for our brand”, said Kaitlin Johnstone, co-founder of Kind Cotton. “Along with spreading kindness, our primary goal is to promote and encourage literacy, so to be able to provide these books to the students of Joseph A. Fowler makes us really proud.” Kind Cotton sells clothing and accessories designed to spread compassion and empathy, with every purchase helping to provide books to children nationwide.
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]]>Bradenton, FL: Kind Cotton, a local clothing company with a mission to redefine kindness, inspire others to do better, and encourage childhood literacy, has expanded its reading program to include a new partner: Black Lives Matter Manasota Alliance. Black Lives Matter Manasota Alliance is looking to promote reading and build literacy amongst children in the Sarasota/Bradenton area. Their initial kickoff will include a December Book Drive (dates to be determined) encompassing 9 different neighborhoods throughout Sarasota and Manatee Counties. After the holidays, Black Lives Matter will begin erecting ‘Free Little Libraries’ throughout both counties to further extend access to books for children and adults.
“In every book, the reader hopes to find a piece of themselves, yet, for BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) children that is often not the case. Our children are inundated with images of knights, warriors, heroes, kings, and queens that look nothing like them, while the media constantly portrays negative stereotypes and at best graphic depictions of the worst parts of our history.”
Black Lives Matter Literacy Initiative Leader Jr Lalleman continued, “Through our LIT (literacy) Initiative, we hope to provide the children and adults in Manatee and Sarasota counties with free access to quality books rich in representation. It is our hope that by putting books written by BIPOC authors in the hands of BIPOC children, we can educate, inspire, and elevate the consciousness of the children and adults in these communities to meet the challenges presented to them by the ever enduring weight of racism in America.”
Kind Cotton has now provided over 20,000 books to children across the country, with an emphasis on in-person literacy lessons at Alta Vista Elementary. However, COVID-19 has put an end to their in-person reading program temporarily. “It has become increasingly important to become co-conspirators in the fight against racism in this country. As a white woman, it is important that our company works to dismantle white supremacy and challenge the systems that uphold it” said Kind Cotton co-founder, Kaitlin Johnstone. “As a Kindergarten teacher, I have made it my mission that children have books in my classroom in which my students feel seen, valued, and inspired. It is also crucial for books to be windows into other cultures. Educators must do their part in creating these experiences in the classroom, but many times this is not the case. So, when given the opportunity to partner with Black Lives Matter on their literacy initiative, we were overjoyed!”
The members of this project, literacy initiative leader Jr Lallemand, Black Lives Matter Manasota organizer, Deedra Zee, marketing director Marissa Maulbeck, member Olivia Tooker, and Kind Cotton owner Kaitlin Johnstone are looking forward to providing thousands of books to children/adults throughout Sarasota and Bradenton. Please look to support by either dropping books off or sending donations. More information can be found at:
About Black Lives Matter Manasota Alliance: Black Lives Matter Manasota Alliance is an organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lives by dismantling white supremacy and systemic racism through community outreach, education, and civic action.
About Kind Cotton: Kind Cotton promotes kindness and encourages childhood literacy in the Sarasota-Bradenton community through clothing & accessories. With every purchase, a book is given to a child in the community. More than just a donation, the company is focused on making a real impact on each child by personally working with them to develop and enhance reading skills.
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We have not attended our reading program since March 12th. Although we knew of COVID then, I never would have imagined that we would go this long without being there. I miss sharing stories with the kids. I miss the projects and the laughs. I miss how excited they were every time they would get a new book.
Kind Cotton is built on being more than a simple book donation. We take pride in building relationships and making learning meaningful. With the pandemic, we have been trying our best to still get books in the hands of kids. Our partnership with First Book provided over 5,000. We have donated to various YMCAs across the country and most recently you helped us in donating 250 books to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital!
When I reached out to Emily about donations, she informed me that they have upwards of 200 patients daily at their hospital and that they are always in need of books. When we hung up the phone I stepped outside and sat on our porch. I needed a moment to empathize with these families. I cannot imagine the fear they must be feeling, the questions they must be asking themselves, the immense courage they have. Somehow becoming a mother has also made me much weepier. However, if you ask my friends of 20+ years they would probably laugh and say I’ve always been the sentimental one of the group. I mean, I did bring a box of first-boyfriend-memories to our hometown bar two years ago to share with all of them. I even managed to save a bagel wrapper from Dunkin Donuts for 15 years; please tell me I am not the only one! But I think if there is one common thread amongst people, we can all agree that seeing a child hurt, or sick is something we would all fix by any means possible.
I recognize that providing books to children in the hospital does not fix the hurt, but we are hoping it brings a little bit of light. Maybe a bedtime story can offer an escape. Thanks to all of you we were recently able to provide 250 books to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital along with masks for patients and employees.
Our goal is to continue to find new ways to put books in the hands of children in the safest way possible. If you know of any school/organization in need please let us know. We would love to help out!
]]>We are SO excited to have our little kindness company featured in the Jan/Feb issue of Mommy Magazine!! Check it out here on pg 32!!
]]>Here’s a look back on our December reading program trip to Alta Vista. We had so much fun reading The Gingerbread Kid Goes to School and making our very own gingerbread kids!!! The best part was that, because of you we were able to provide a gift to every child! Their reactions were priceless! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making this dream a reality and for putting books in the hands of kids! ❤️
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Hey guys! Here's a behind-the-scenes look at our trip to Alta Vista Elementary for our Reading Program in October. We had an awesome time with the kiddos: reading Spookley the Square Pumpkin, creating our own Spookley's, and giving each child a book! Check back for more content coming soon and a sincere thank you to all of you who have joined our Be Kind movement, spread some kindness, and helped provide a book to these children❤️
When we started Kind Cotton, our dreams were to make an actual impact in how children feel as readers. We wanted to ensure that we weren’t simply putting a book in a child’s backpack with absolutely no regard for what it means to be actively involved in enjoying literature. With that in mind, we have developed a strong partnership with a local Elementary School, attending twice a month to instill a love for reading along with giving out books!
Thankfully, due to all your help we have reached a point that we are able to give back to outstanding educators as well! Let’s face it, teachers are the ones doing this job every day. Teachers create a space that inspires, encourages, and promotes reading daily. After countless hours spent brainstorming how we could extend the reach of our reading program, I glanced at a friend’s post on Facebook the other day. Her request was simple: she was looking to increase her student's access to literature at home by providing each of them a brand new book of their own each month. I immediately felt as though this idea was genius!!! I did not have to think for any length of time to determine who our first sponsored class would be...
Alex Kelleman is a phenomenal kindergarten teacher at Alta Vista Elementary who believes deeply in going above and beyond to make her children feel loved, accepted, and successful. The best part?! All of the kiddos in her class this year were a part of our summer reading program! That means that the children I taught every week this past summer will still have an amazing opportunity to receive FREE books every month for the entire school year!
We plan to do monthly drop offs to Mrs. Kelleman’s class and this is all because of your support. We can never fully put into words what your purchases mean to us. It has provided us the opportunity to start and continue a reading program that is so incredibly unique and we will forever be grateful for that.
We are so beyond excited to provide these books to Mrs. Kelleman that we have decided to sponsor another class and turn it into a giveaway! So, if you, or someone you know is a deserving educator who would love a year of free books for their class, please be sure to follow us on Instagram @kindcotton and look out for our giveaway coming Monday September 2nd. Until then, we are grateful for your kindness, love, and support!
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The book opens with posing the question, what would you do if one morning you woke up and all your hair was gone and replaced by a wild animal?! This immediately grabbed the attention of all the kids in the room. They began discussing which animal they would want to be and why. As we continued reading, we found out tons of useful information about various animals such as, lions, zebras, arctic foxes, and even giant pangolins! The excitement rose each time an animal we had discussed prior to reading made an appearance in the text.
Toward the end of the first session, one of the children raised his hand and asked why we bring books when we come each week. I took the time to think for a moment in order to provide him with the most thoughtful, authentic answer possible. I explained how much I love the story telling and learning new things and that my biggest dream was to share that very love of books with all of them. He smiled, and replied, “I’m happy you do.” Time and time again we are reminded of the importance of this work. We are reminded how eager children are to learn as they discuss their ideas with their peers. We are reminded how important literacy is as they turn the pages of their new books each week retelling the key details of the story.
After reading, the children drew portraits of themselves and chose which animal hair they’d like to have for a day. I was impressed by their enthusiasm and creativity when designing their hair. Although all the animals were chosen, porcupine hair was by far the favorite!
As we wrapped up and said our goodbyes for the week, I couldn’t help but go back to the reason we go each week and we have all of you to thank for this dream becoming a reality. Thank you for being on this journey with us!
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Our summer reading program is underway, and we could not be more excited. This year we are looking to make a bigger impact that in the past. We have partnered with Alta Vista Elementary School to bring our Kind Cotton Reading Program to all of their incoming Kindergarten students that are a part of Eagle Academy. Eagle Academy is an academic program to prepare students for success and help prevent summer learning loss. Children receive engaging instruction in their core subjects as well as have the opportunity to explore hands on learning experiences via field trips. When asked to be a part of their incredible program, the choice was simple for us!
As always when meeting a new class, I could barely sleep the night before. Will they enjoy my lesson? Have they already heard the book I chose to bring? As the thousands of thoughts raced through my head like a child trying to sleep the night before Christmas, I slowly took a few deep breaths and faded to sleep. Wednesday morning came, and I quickly gathered the books and the materials for our giraffe puppets and piled into my mom’s car to head to the elementary school. Still a nervous wreck, I anxiously knocked on the classroom door. As soon as it opened, I felt a relief. There is something so special about the energy of a child. Each one of their 4 and 5-year-old faces lit up when they saw me prior to even knowing who I was. We sat in a circle, introduced ourselves, and spoke of the things we love to do. I mentioned how much I loved to read and as our talking piece slowly made its way around the circle, one of the little ones expressed how much they loved stories being read to them. I obviously added some brownie points in my head immediately for him! After introductions, we sat down for one of my personal all-time favorite stories, Giraffes Can’t Dance. This may sound silly, but the best part of reading to a kid is seeing their eyes light up as you take them on a journey through every turning page. By the end they were cheering with excitement that Gerald (the main character) could finally dance because he found the music he loved. Immediately finishing the story, we created our very own Gerald the Giraffe puppets. All of the children took such pride in their work; many of them even named their puppets. My personal favorite was Rainbow. To top off the day each child received their very own copy of the book to bring home and the enthusiasm they expressed was priceless. Each so grateful and appreciative. Each child, without hesitation, opened their books. One little girl even propped her puppet up alongside a stuffed animal and began reading the story to them; cue the happy teacher tears!!!
As we packed up to leave there were two things on my mind. One, I could not wait to go back! We will be attending every Wednesday for the remainder of the summer and will be working with 50 students each time we go. Second, the gratitude we have toward every person who has followed us on social media, shared our message, or purchased one of our kindness items will forever hold a special place in our hearts. You are all the true champions of bringing literacy to children. Thank you will never be enough, but we will continue to express our appreciation as much as we can. Stay tuned for weekly updates to see how our summer reading program continues to grow!
Check out more pictures HERE
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