And we're off!

Just like that, summer flew by.

We spent the summer working on something really exciting for y'all!  We're developing the Kind Kit and this summer we started the process of putting the assembly program onto DVD so that Kind Campaign will exponentially grow in 2013.  More details to come in the future as to what the Kind Kit entails and how to get your hands on it!

Yesterday we had our first Kind Campaign assembly of the school year at Rosary High School in Fullerton, California!  It felt so good to be back at it talking to girls about this extremely important subject matter.  Not gonna lie though, after a bit of a break this summer, Lauren and I got little butterflies before we started the assembly, which is not the norm typically since we do this day in and day out.  Then we remembered that this happens at the very first assembly of every tour, and as soon as we got out there talking to the girls, all of the butterflies faded away.  They were replaced by jolts of excitement as we shared our testimonies, screened the film, heard some incredible pledges and kind cards and witnessed apologies being passed around the gymnasium.

Here's a little sneak peek into our first assembly of the school year...

We're so excited for all of the upcoming screenings and assemblies!  It's a bittersweet feeling, as this is our last tour personally going into schools for the assemblies.  (Don't fear, Kind Campaign will still live and breathe as a non-profit and the message will have the ability spread exponentially once we launch the Kind Kit!)  If your community or school hasn't had the opportunity to have an assembly with the two of us, we still have some spots available on our final tour.  Check out www.findingkind.com to find out more information and to contact IndieFlix to get something on the calendar before we're booked up!  

Cannot wait to see what adventures lie ahead of us and what amazing people we are going to meet along the way!

love love love,

molly

thoughtful tuesday.

source: positively present

Important Announcement

After 3 years of touring and traveling to hundreds of schools, the two of us have decided to step into the next chapter of our lives. This Fall will be the FINAL Kind Campaign Anti-Bullying tour and the LAST time you will be able to book us for a Kind Campaign assembly. We will be traveling from August-November. If you are interested in booking a Kind Campaign assembly please do so at: http://findingkind.indieflix.com/host/

Although we wont be personally touring anymore, Kind Campaign will still live on. We are excited to share with you our new plans and strategy to continue sharing Finding Kind and a new DVD assembly program. More info to come soon!




KINDly,
Lauren & Molly

why we do what we do.

Because of emails and letters like the one below that we received from a girl after her school held a screening of Finding Kind.

Dear Finding Kind,

                A few days ago I was told all the girls in the school were to watch a movie about girls "finding kind." My first impression, stupid, Did the teachers really expect one movie to change the ways we react to others, especially girls? We all came into the room and sat down with our friends, already a few girls commented on another girls outfit and some other sassy remarks were made before the lights finally dimmed for the movie. The teacher showed us a trailer at first and the beginning scene was two beautiful girls who admitted they were bullied before. A thought was, if they were bullied we are all screwed but that was judging all on looks. The movie started and I was immediately hooked. Amazing, gorgeous girls were admitting to being bullied and bullying other girls. A feeling of  closure was set upon me. I was not alone. As the movie went on I realized that some people had it much worse than me, and that killed me.  No one was stopping it, no one would stand up for themselves or each other. I made a promise during this movie, a promise that I hope I will never break, I promised myself I would stop it when I saw bullying happening. Being my confident self I knew  I could easily stand up for me, that wasn't good enough, I could help someone else. During this movie tears were shed of sadness for other girls who had experienced feelings that no one should experience. The movie came to a close and I was simply blown away. This movie was nothing less than amazing. Cards of apologies were given out and hugs between friends who would not even make eye contact before were exchanged. Kind cards were then read which concluded in the feeling of pure bliss. When we were to share about our feelings that is when the life changing experience actually began. Together as a group of girls of different ages and sizes cried, we cried together, for ourselves and for each other. Feelings that I tried to keep hidden bubbled over like boiling water. Sixty Four girls became one and everyone was accepted. No daggered looks or harmful words or judging glances, everyone was accepted. This experience, this moment was life changing and what seemed to be impossible became real, sixty four girls found kind.

                                                Thank You for Changing my life,

                                                                Corrine

                                                                  Kirkland Washington

The COOLEST Day Evaaaaaaa!

Today was HANDS DOWN one of the coolest days EVERRRRR.  Molly picked up Lori bright and early and I met the two of them at the oral surgeon's office.  We were all a bit nervous about hearing what it will take to do the surgery and the approximate cost of everything.  This consultation was going to determine our plan of action and would show us exactly what it will take to make this all happen.

He checked Lori out, gave us the rundown of her condition and everything to expect for the procedure and recovery.  It was overwhelming to say the least.  This is going to be a major procedure with a long recovery.  Although the long list of variables and information was daunting, it was the amount of money that really hit us.  We had been waiting all week to hear what it would take financially and the answer we got was way more than we expected.  The surgeon let us know that he is on board and will cut his personal costs significantly but with this sort of surgery, Lori will have to be in the hospital which will pile up bills somewhere between $70,000-$110,000.   Molly and I looked at each other in disbeleif and I'd be lying if I said we weren't a little discouraged.  This amount on top of all of the flights we will have to buy, food, accommodations... it was a lot to take in.  

After the appointment we went to my parents house to try to catch a nap before Molly and my meeting with Element Eden.  The three of us sat down and digested the consultation.  We laid out all the options, the time this will take, the type of commitment this is for all parties involved and took a realistic look at what we could make happen.  I could tell as we were talking about everything that there was a bit of Lori's hope lost, that Lori was scared we were going to back out with the news of these hospital bills.  Lori has spent a lifetime filled with disappointment and has been let down by most of the people in her life that she should be able to trust...so in a way, I wouldn't blame her for doubting that two random girls and this team of strangers were going to follow through for her.  We assured her that we are going to do everything in our power to make this happen.  We let her know it will take some serious time to raise the money before we even get to any dental work but that again, we would get there somehow...hopefully. 

We headed up to Irvine for our meeting with the Element Eden and Element team. 

As many of our followers know, we have had major support from Element Eden for a couple years now.  They hook us up with awesome tour apparel and are such wonderful advocates for the work we do.  Alex Swanson, our contact and cheerleader at Element Eden let us know in the beginning of this school year that she wanted to bring Kind Campaign deeper into their brand and figure out more ways for KC and EE to work together.   We had been trying to set up a meeting with their team for the last couple months but the meeting kept pushing.  Finally we landed on today at 2pm.  Lori came with us and we had planned on her sitting in the waiting room while we went over everything with the EE team.  As we were walking into the meeting, Alex invited Lori to come with us.  We walked into a room with a table of vibrant, strong and kind-hearted women, all of which run major parts of the brand.  At the head of the table sat,  Johnny Schillereff, the founder and president of Element.  We all made our introductions and Alex asked us to let everyone know what Kind Campaign is all about.  We gave them the usual KC rundown and everyone was really excited about working with us further.  Johnny then asked us for specific ideas as to how they could help Kind Campaign.  We talked about different initiatives we have for the new school year and ways we could potentially team up.

Molly and I hadn't planned on bringing Lori up in meeting, let alone talk about the news we had just heard from the surgeon's consultation.  But something in me thought, why not? This is such an important project and here is a great opportunity to let some caring and powerful people know what we are trying to accomplish.  We gave Johnny and the team Lori's whole story and background, told them why she was here for the week and told them all the details about her Dr. appointments.  Most importantly, we let them know about the daunting amount of money we now needed to raise and the fact that we had just found out this unfortunate news about an hour before we had stepped foot into this meeting.  Then, something amazing happened.  Johnny decided then and there, almost immediately, that he along with the brand were going to do everything in their power to raise all of the money we need for Lori.  Within about ten minutes he told us his plan and how they were going to create a call to action with the Element and Element Eden community to raise whatever costs we need within 60 days.  The excitement and passion he had to make this happen was incredible, inspiring and so refreshing.  To sit there with the President of a major company-- someone who has resources and an ability to help-- and to see him take action like that on the spot is something we have never experienced.  Having met with so many companies, brands, and networks, I can honestly say this is the most genuine and socially conscious brand we know.   

Johnny let us know that he is excited for Element Eden to work directly with Kind Campaign schools initiatives but that in his eyes, hearing Lori's story was so impacting that he knew the first step in working together was to raise the money for her.  We were all speechless.  Thinking about how many times this meeting had been pushed and the timing of everything...the fact that this morning we were told such overwhelming and intimidating news and for help like this to come the same afternoon...it was serendipitous. 

Thank you Alex!

As if them working with us to raise this money wasn't enough,  following the meeting, Alex invited Lori to their warehouse in the back to pick out new clothes for her and her whole family.  I think Lori had a permanent smile on her face today.  I overheard her in a conversation with one of the women from the meeting. Lori told her that throughout Lori's whole life she has been told she is worthless and that she truly believed that about herself, but that sitting in the meeting and seeing complete strangers care for her like that showed her that she isn't worthless...that there must be something special within her.   ...it was another one of those, 'oh man, I'm going to cry' moments. Really, the whole afternoon was like that for us. 

Alex takes Lori shopping through Element Eden warehouse!

We left the meeting in the highest of spirits and the day got even better when we met Amanda Martin, also featured within Finding Kind for dinner. Lori and Amanda met today for the first time but they have been communicating on Facebook and have built a supportive friendship since the documentary came out.  It was so cool to see them together and to have them both at our screening and assembly tonight at the Assisted League in Costa Mesa.  This is the first time we have had people featured in the documentary at an assembly. Both Lori and Amanda were able to be a part of the conversation which was really moving.  My favorite part was seeing all the girls from the assembly rush up to Lori and Amanda to tell them how inspired they were by their stories.  Lori and Amanda both received Kind Cards from different girls in the sessions and plenty of hugs and 'Thanks you's.'  There was so much love in that room.  

Assisted League Screening with Amanda and Lori

Amanda Martin and Lori meet for the first time :) 

Now Im sitting in my parents kitchen.  Lori is sitting on the couch watching American Idol with my mom.  My mom asked her if she wanted hot chocolate and Lori's response was "I don't know what to say... I'm not used to having all these people care like this." 

I've learned a lot from Lori this week...we all have.  She is constantly reminding me not to take anything for granted and to appreciate all of the people in my life who love and care for me, people who offer to make me hot chocolate.  Lori has reminded me to tell those people every day how much they mean to me.  

Im taking Lori to the airport in the morning.  We are sad to see her go but so excited for her to go home and see her kiddies and her hubby.  I know she misses them so much.  She's a really amazing mom.  

Well, this has been a crazy and beautiful week.  I am always so touched when I see how willing people are to jump on a cause and help out in any way they can.  People are inherently good. We see it every day.   We can't wait to work with Element and Element Eden and all of the doctors on board to get going on the next steps!

Again, if you want to help out, please send a donation in Lori's name to this link:  CHANGE LORI'S LIFE.

Life is good.

LOVE wins.

Lauren

Lori takes in Los Angeles!

Today was so much fun! We didn't have any doctor appointments set up for Lori, so we were able to show her some of the best parts of Los Angeles.  We picked her up in the morning and bumped Justin Bieber's new single, Boyfriend, the whole way up... I may or may not be obsessed with that song. Okay, I am.

The first place we took her was the Hollywood sign.  From there we walked down Hollywood Blvd, hit up Grauman's Chinese Theaters, drove through Beverly Hills onto Rodeo Drive then heading to the west side to show her where Molly and I both live in Santa Monica.   It was such a perfect day so we decided to go to one of the best spots in LA, The Huntley Hotel for some appetizers and drinks.  The view up there is insane. When we finished up we headed down the shops of 3rd St. Boulevard and ended up on the Santa Monica pier to ride the ferris wheel.  Molly and I have lived here forever and have never been on it so it was so cool to share that first experience with Lori! We finished the day with dinner at a great Mexican place...we had to show her some good Mexican food!

The day was perfect. Seeing her eyes and her smile light up with every experience she has makes this such a rewarding experience.  So many things this week are first-time experiences for her.   I love that because of the kindness of one woman's heart,  Lori gets to forever have life-changing memories and opportunities that probably would have never presented themselves to her.  I know I sound like a broken record, but its just so beautiful, and it's truly been a life changing experience for me as well...and Im sure I can speak for Molly in saying the same goes for her.

Anyway, I didn't want to write a whole bunch of details about today because the pictures are so much better.  So take a look at Lori's day!

As you can see, Lori had an amazing day :) We are up again early tomorrow to bring Lori to Dr. Cummings, an Oral Surgeon that we are hoping will take on her case!!! Keep your fingers crossed! More tomorrow!

LOVE wins.
Lauren

and the journey continues...

Today was day two of our quest to CHANGE LORI'S LIFE.   It was not only a super fun day filled with new experiences for Lori, but we learned a lot about what it's going to take to give her the smile of her dreams.  We started the day back at Dr. Kahal's office to do a teeth cleaning but first stopped at Starbucks where Lori had her first Frapachino... she obviously fell in love :) After a quick sugar bender, we headed over to Dr. Meister's for Lori's first Orthodontic consultation.

Dr. Meister and Lori

After taking some more x-rays and closely examining her teeth, Dr. Meister told us there are two options.   One is to put braces on her to get her teeth as straight as possible then finish up with some touch ups when the braces come off.  The other,  more ideal option, is for Lori to have her jaw surgically worked on along with having braces.  Dr. Meister informed us that the average adult upper jaw is between 32-38mm wide.  Lori's is 23 mm wide. 

 Lori is an extreme case that will require surgery on her jaw to align her teeth and her bite.    Lori let Dr. Meister know that her jaw and her bite cause constant pain for her and simple luxuries such as eating an apple or chewing on a piece of steak are almost impossible because of how her jaw bites.  It became very clear that fixing her jaw would completely change how she lives her life.  We asked her how she felt about oral surgery and she is completely on board and feels that this is the best case scenario for her.  We couldn't agree more and realized the next step will be to find an oral surgeon to get on board.  Dr. Meister let us know that in going through with the surgery, he will first apply braces to help straighten the teeth as much as possible.  The second step will be the surgery followed by some touch ups once the braces come off.  Molly and I realized that this is going to be a long and complex process, but we are 100% committed to making this happen.  To see the excitement in her eyes with just the thought of fixing these issues makes us more and more encouraged to raise all the money needed and again, make this the most memorable experience ever. 

After the consultation, Dr. Meister put a call in to an oral surgeon that he has a close relationship with, to let him know about Lori and her story and the help we are going to need.  We were hoping to get into the surgeons office today but we are now waiting on a call from him and will most likely (we hope) get Lori in for an appointment on Thursday.  We are just hoping now that the surgeon is touched by her story and has the ability to do the work for the amount that we already have raised.  We know there is a good possibility that we are going to have to raise more money to make this happen but we will have a better idea about that by the end of this week, when we have seen the surgeon and know the exact plan.
We all left the appointment feeling excited.  We now know there is a solution and by the end of this, Lori will be filled with joy.

Before bringing Lori back to the hotel we took her around Newport Beach and walked around Balboa Island.  I love how excited she gets about the beauty that surrounds us on a day-to-day-basis... views and experiences that we all, myself included, take for granted.   We took her to get her first maicure and pedicure.  She was so excited.  She ended up settling for a very bright shade of pink...I

copied her :)   From there we stopped by a self-serve frozen yogurt shop... another first time experience for Lori... not just the self-serve part-- but the frozen yogurt itself is something she has never eaten.  She looked like a little kid in a candy shop-- seeing all of the flavors and toppings she could choose.
      

Lori thinks palm trees are the coolest things ever and I think its the coolest thing ever that she has such a fascination with them.   Its truly such a special experience to watch someone else discover the world in new ways.  Probably my favorite part of the day today was when we picked Lori up in the morning and she told us about a conversation she had with her 6 year old son last night.  He said, "Mommy, show me pictures! I want to see all of the colors of the world!"    To think about her sons face when he said that... the images he had in his mind, picturing his mom on this crazy adventure in another land... it was so heart warming and almost had me in tears (i think that will be a very regular feeling throughout this process).

Well, it was another great day and again, we can't thank Diana, Dr. Kahal, Dr. Meister, Michele AND all of YOU who have donated in Loris name over the last 24 hours.  YOU are changing her life.

To be a part of this, please donate in Loris name at:  CHANGE LORI'S LIFE

LOVE wins.
Lauren

KINDness can CHANGE a life.

Everyone who has seen Finding Kind is struck very hard by one specific interview. Almost three years ago, while shooting Finding Kind, we were lucky enough to meet Lori Hazen.  We bumped into Lori while we were spending some time in Walla Walla, Washington.  I remember the moment so well... we had just finished marching through town with our tricked-out Kind Campaign mini-van.  Right before we were about to head to the local park to conduct some interviews,  a beautiful girl with a pink bandana wrapped in her hair cautiously approached the window and asked what we were up too.   We let her know she was welcome to meet us in the park if she wanted to share anything on camera about her experiences with bullying.   We had no idea in that moment that that girl would play such a huge role in our film and in our lives. After setting up our cameras and getting settled in,  Lori approached our us with her two adorable little kids being wheeled in a wagon behind her.  She sat down, got comfortable and over the next hour, shared one of the most heart-breaking testimonies we have ever heard. 

Throughout the next hour, Lori courageously shared her experience with bullying and social pressures at school, but more importantly, shared with us the depths of her often-brutal life experience and the tough hand she was dealt.   I remember sitting at that bench, taking in her whole story, thinking... 'she doesn't deserve this...no one deserves this.'  I was in tears... never in my life had I heard of such a series of traumatic events in one persons life... accounts of abuse, neglect, violence, severe cruelty... We were so grateful for her willingness to share her story on camera, because it inspired a very important chapter in the film and various lessons within all of our assemblies: You NEVER know what someone is going through and the things they go home to when they walk through their front door... how crucial it is to put ourselves in other people's shoes... not to judge until you have heard someone's story.  After finishing the interview I remember feeling guilty walking away from her... knowing the hardships she faces.  Well,  life has a funny way of working itself out sometimes,  and it brought Lori back to us three years later for what will become a life changing experience for her and everyone involved.  

A couple months ago, we were touring around the greater Seattle area with the film and assembly program.  We had about 15 events that week and we came home exhausted.  After finishing up some lunch,  we received an email from a woman named Diana who was, like thousands of other people, immensely touched by Lori's story in the documentary.   At one point during Lori's interview,  Lori talked about her insecurity with her teeth and how that insecurity deeply affects her life experience and confidence.  She shared how badly she wished she could have them fixed but that costs would indefinitely prevent her from doing so.   Diana, like Lori, was deeply insecure about her teeth growing up and shared in her email about a specific bullying experience related to her teeth.  That experience changed Diana's life.  

After watching the documentary, Diana made a decision to pay it forward and change Lori's life.  In her email she expressed to us that she is going to sponsor Lori (a complete stranger to Diana) to get the dental and orthodontic work done to make her teeth perfect.  Diana let us know that she wanted something good to happen to Lori... for Lori to know that there are people in the world who love her and are inspired by her courageous testimony.  We were in tears, reading this email from Diana,  realizing the magnitude of her gracious offer.   Immediately our wheels started turning (they tend to do that),  and we thought about all of the possibilities.   First we called Lori to tell her.  She was speechless.  She couldn't understand how a complete stranger would have the heart to do something like this for her... again, knowing Lori's life story, it isn't surprising that a random act of kindness like this would seem almost implausible.  

At our next screening, we let the audience know what was happening, about our desire to find a dentist and orthodontist in Southern California who would donate their time and money to what will be a very long and complex ortho case.  We let the audience know about our desire to fly Lori to California and make this the most amazing experience possible.  Immediately following the screening, a kind woman named Michele from the Hilton Hotel in Downtown Long Beach let us know that Hilton would love to host Lori for free when she comes to California.   We were so excited to see other people excited to be a part of changing Lori's life.  Over the next couple months we began communicating with Dr. Jim Kahal,  an amazing dentist in Orange County who has donated a ton of time helping advise us through this process.   After locking down some details, we made the travel arrangements and locked in an appointment with Dr. Kahal.  It has been so rewarding to see how anxious and excited Lori has been for today to come. 

Fast foward to this morning, March 26th, 2012 when the two of us picked Lori up from the Orange County airport to bring her to her first dental consultation.   We were so excited to see Lori and the smile on her face. Today was her first time to California and her second time seeing the ocean.   

Dr. Kahal saw Lori this afternoon, free of charge and worked on her teeth to get her ready for her orthodontist appointment tomorrow with Dr. Robert Meister.   Throughout the rest of this week, we will be taking Lori to her dental appointments to begin what will be a long but exciting journey ahead.   Making Lori's dream come true is going to require more flights from her home in North Platte, Nebraska back to LA, and we are hoping to make this an amazing experience for her by bringing her and her kids to Disneyland for their first time!  Expenses include food, gas, travel and although Diana is donating an extremely generous amount of money for the dental and ortho work,  we would love to be able to offer more funds to these generous doctors so we can ensure the best plan and results for Lori.  

EVERY dollar will help so if you feel compelled to help change Lori's life, please make a donation in her name by clicking this link: CHANGE LORI'S LIFE  Every cent of your donation will go towards Lori.

This is just the beginning and we know there will be a lot more ahead to make this happen for Lori. We feel so blessed to be a part of Lori's life and a part of this experience.  Thank you again to Michelle from Hilton, Dr. Kahal, Dr. Meister and most of all Diana, who is such an inspiration to all of us, reminding us that a kind act, big or small, can change a life.  

We will be updating through The Daily Kind to let you all know about her progress and will keep you informed every step of the way.  Have a wonderful week and remember:  BE KIND for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.  

xoxo

LOVE wins.

Lauren Parsekian & Molly Thompson 

The BIG 2-5!!

Today marks a very special day in the world of Kind Campaign!  It is Lauren's 25th birthday today!  I just wanted to use the blog to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my partner in KIND, Lauren!!!

So happy that this little one (Lauren's on the right with her sister, Brooke, and brother, Liam) was brought into my life! 

I am so thankful for her friendship, dedication, and encouragement.  Lauren, enjoy this day as we celebrate the 25 glorious years since your birth!  And here's to the next 25 (and many more) amazing years to come!


I love you baby girl!  Here's to YOU! 
love love love,
molly

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