I’m so excited to tell you about a unique and uplifting organization started by one mom on a mission to promote kindness.
I had the amazing opportunity to speak with the founder of Ben’s Bells, Ben’s mom, Jeannette Mare`. I am so excited that she is making the debut as the first official member of “The Sweeter Side.”
After losing her son Ben suddenly in 2002, Jeannette realized that she couldn’t walk the terrifying path of grieving alone. Shortly after, it became clear that her family needed people by their side.
What she did was find an outlet that enabled her to surround herself with people and kindness. It wasn’t long before Jeannette recognized that the kind gestures she was immersed in was not taking away her sadness, which she needed to feel, yet it allowed her to become cognizant that kindness was helping her through her grief.
Filled with compassion and love, Jeannette shared that everybody needs to be held up in their suffering, as people are vulnerable and too often pretend they’re not. Thus, she has made it her mission to help others.
As a result, she founded Ben’s Bells. Ben’s bells were created to thank people for their kindness. “Acts of kindness are like oxygen”, she stated, which allowed her to survive. She learned that there was “power in small connections.”
“The mission of Ben’s Bells is to inspire, educate, and motivate each other to realize the impact of intentional kindness and to empower individuals to act according to that awareness, thereby strengthening ourselves, our relationships and our communities.”
These beautiful bells consist of a center piece of a flower which is a solid color and then varying sizes of beads. Every bell is handcrafted by volunteers.
Ben’s Bells has made a profound impact on the people of Arizona, where they have two art studios. People and groups gather to volunteer their time to hand craft each bell. In addition, Ben’s Bells also opened up a studio in Newtown, Connecticut.
As of 2014, over 40,000 bells have been hanged so far. Teams of volunteers hang up the bells at selected places around the community in for people to find and take home to act as a reminder of the importance of kindness.
In addition to making bells, they offer Kindness Education which is composed of several programs including, Kind Campus, Kind Colleague, Camp Kind, Weekly Belling, and more! You must check out their website for a full review as there’s so many wonderful things happening because of Ben’s Bells.
By learning to receive and offer help, Jeannette believes “kindness is a skill that can be improved on.”
With three art studios, 25 employees, 8 communities, and thousands of volunteers thus far, it’s safe to say that Ben’s Bells has created a new movement of inspiration and kindness, bringing people and communities together like never before.
Please visit her website for lots more fabulous information and see what you can do to spread kindness.
Daphne Bach Greer 