The story behind Be Kind Ithaca


Darrell started Be Kind at the beginning of the pandemic, when he felt we could all benefit from a little kindness. Darrell started with a large Be Kind heart in his front yard. One of his neighbors, a local business owner, loved the simple message and asked if she could get a Be Kind heart. From there the message, and the hearts started to spread, throughout Ithaca and beyond. In a few short years, Darrell has made thousands of hearts, which have been shipped around the world.

Read more about his work here.

In addition to spreading kindness through the hand-made signs, Be Kind has partnered with several charities and helped raise money for:

The Sophie Fund

The SPCA of Tompkins County

The Downtown Ithaca Children’s Center

Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force

Random Acts of Sensless Kindness

Lost Dogs of The Finger Lakes

The Elves Program Cornell

The Mickey Gallager Scholarship Fund 

T-Burg Takes on Pediatric Cancer

Free Hugs Ithaca

Austin Free lunch

Houston Food Bank

Ariel Global Community

Family Reading Partnership

NAMI Fingerlakes

The Ellis Hollow Nature School