A Family’s Tradition of Kindness 💚

The Schmidt Family travels regularly to Texas Children’s Hospital for ongoing appointments for their oldest child. Over the past year, they’ve created a simple but powerful ritual during each visit: hanging Ben’s Bells around the hospital grounds. It’s become a way for their whole family to connect through kindness, sharing hope, comfort, and a moment of unexpected joy with other families walking similar paths.

This September, one of the Bells they hung was discovered by Julianne, who shared the following Found Bell story:

“My daughter has been in the NICU since birth. She is 2 months old, has been on a ventilator since birth, survived ECMO, and has a fighting spirit that has inspired many. We had to transfer hospitals via a care flight to Texas Children’s in Houston to receive a higher level of care about a week ago. It has been an extremely stressful 24 hours. I came outside to the garden here on the NICU floor to get some fresh air. I looked up and saw this beautiful Bell hanging from the tree next to me. I began reading Ben’s story and the origin of the Bells and was brought to tears. This Bell gave me so much hope when I desperately needed it. Seeing all the hands that put effort into making this made me feel not so alone. I felt seen. This Bell is such a beautiful reminder to give kindness to others, but this Bell also gave such kindness to me when I really needed it. I am dreaming now of putting this in our backyard, and if we can bring our daughter home, I will proudly tell her about how I found the Bell, the meaning of it, and about Ben. What a great reminder to me to show kindness to all I encounter, especially while I am here. Thank you so much for this beautiful Bell, and thank you even more for this beautiful reminder about the importance of kindness.”

Donate today to keep kindness ringing in your community and throughout the world!

Kindness Down Under

Bells are hung throughout the world by amazing volunteers, and this one carries a story two decades in the making.

Ali Kruk grew up practicing kindness with her family and at Kind Campus schools. Twenty years ago, when she was just a little kid, her mom hung a Bell in the Jaraconda trees in view of the Sydney Opera House in Australia, creating a moment of kindness they shared together. Their family has been part of the Ben’s Bells mission for decades, shaping classrooms, volunteering in studios, and championing kindness everywhere they go.

This summer, as that little kid graduated from college, she returned to our studio and spent months volunteering before beginning her dream job in Sydney. When packing for her move, she put one thing at the very top of her list to bring from home: Bells to hang to continue the tradition.

Watch Ali place a Bell in the Jaracanda trees of Australia, echoing a moment from her childhood and sending a new ripple of kindness across an ocean.
And the ripple happened quickly…the Bell was found in early November 2025 by Carly Manthei, who shared:

“The Jacaranda trees are my favorite! I went to stand by a huge one in the park and saw the Bell with a little note to take it home! I went to the website and saw the origin of the Bells, and it’s such a sweet surprise and felt so special to find!” 

Stories like this remind us how far kindness can travel and how deeply it connects us.

This Giving Tuesday, join us in growing a kinder world—one Bell, one moment at a time.

The Bell that Sparked Hope in Guam

Longtime supporter and self-proclaimed Kindness Ninja Jamie Leon-Guerrero hangs Bells in Guam every time she visits her family. During her recent trip, she placed a Bell by the ocean in Tumon, not knowing who might find it, but trusting that kindness would meet the right person at the right moment.
That Bell was found by LeaAnn Sahagon, who wrote:

“My husband was fishing this morning when he came across the Bell hanging on a tree branch. He brought it home and showed it to me. He told me about it and gave me the tag that was attached. I scanned it and was so touched by the story behind the Bell.

This random and amazing find made me feel so hopeful. I’d like to share a little of the life journey I’ve been on for the past eighteen months, if I may. I was diagnosed with Stage 3 HER2-Positive breast cancer in March 2024. I’ve been through several months of chemo and immunotherapy, had a mastectomy, twenty-eight radiation therapy sessions, and then several more months of immunotherapy — amid many scans, tests, etc. I now continue my battle with many lasting side effects, depression and self-isolation being some of the hardest to get through.

But when I saw the Bell, without knowing how it came to be, I fell in love with it! Then knowing how many hands and how much love and kindness went into making it made it even more special. My husband said it was just hanging on the tree and that several people had passed it by. He said when he saw it, he knew it had to come home with him. I’m so glad that it did! To whomever left Ben’s Bell in Tumon, Guam, THANK YOU!” 

This Giving Tuesday, join us as we inspire hope, kindness, and connection.