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Community Partners

Kind Stitches is a collaboration between Ben’s Bells and Tucson Unified School District’s (TUSD) Community Transition Programs. Through Kind Stitches programming, young adult students with disabilities are provided the opportunity to learn valuable vocational skills in retail work and apparel design while helping to reinforce the “be kind” message. Participating students are offered increased opportunities to engage the public in the form of customer service, taking orders, processing payments, and safely and efficiently operating an industrial embroidery machine in real-time work situations within the community. Through this collaboration, Kind Stitches provides Ben’s Bells with a sustainable revenue stream that supports their educational programming throughout the community.

TUSD students embroider the Ben’s Bells “be kind” logo on a number of products including fanny packs, drawstring bags, tote bags, and hats. They also embroider custom text and the “be kind” logo on any personal items such as clothing, blankets, lunch bags, laptop bags, and more.

Embroidered items are sold in-store at Shop Kind, Shop Kind online, TUSD’s Main Gate Collaborative Art Studio, and at pop up shops found at  farmers markets, school events, and street fairs around Tucson.  Students process personalized orders, embroider on the spot, and have Ben’s Bells merchandise available for purchase at various events around town. Every item embroidered by Kind Stitches helps fund Ben’s Bells’ open art studios and kindness education programs, and furthers the mission to inspire intentional acts of kindness.

Ben’s Bells is proud to work with volunteers in TUSD’s Advanced Community Training (ACT) program since 2008. In the ACT program, students engage in learning by volunteering, working, interacting with the public, and accessing the community on a full-time basis for up to two years. Under the supervision of ACT teachers, University of Arizona students provide instructional support to students within meaningful community environments. ACT students and staff have been volunteering in our Tucson studios since 2008.