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Spreading Kindness,
one (free hygiene) kit at a time!

Kindness Kits is a program of Blair Healing Rooms, a 501(c)3 organization.

Donations are tax deductible in the US to the extent allowable by law.

A need recognized

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Blair Radio, a program of Blair Healing Rooms, honored first responders throughout 2020, school staff December of 2020 and hospital staff December of 2021. As 2022 wound down, Kelly Johnson and Kelly Richards tossed ideas for the next give back opportunity back and forth but nothing stuck.  ​

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Then, in early December 2022, a staff member of Blair Community Schools presented the need for hygiene products at the school during a meeting of service agencies. The meeting continued and the expressed need was confirmed.  A seed was planted.

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​A bit of research, some key conversations and many scribbled notes later it was decided: This was the give back program Blair Radio could get behind.  But it wouldn't last for a month. 

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The next meeting date arrived and Kindness Kits was introduced as an ongoing program of Blair Healing Rooms.

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Looking forward

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Where to begin?

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After settling on the first two kit types, personal care and feminine hygiene, Kindness Kits began 2023 with a Clean Sweep, collecting product donations to fill our first kits.  We are so thankful to Blair Chiropractic Centre, Cobalt Credit Union, First Baptist Church and First Congregational Church, all of Blair, and Sassafras Galleria of Wahoo for holding the first hygiene product drives to benefit Kindness Kits.

 

Orders placed to supplement the product drives and it was time to assemble our first kits. Quarter one of 2023 closed with our first kits in the hands of 2 school districts, 3 food pantries, 3 law enforcement agencies and 3 non-profit partners.

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Committed to serving rural communities, we began in Washington and Saunders counties, next reaching into Burt, Harrison and rural Douglas counties before setting our sites on neighboring Nebraska and Iowa counties.

Items given were close to 19,000 in 2023, our inaugural year. By February 2024 we reached one third the item given count of 2023 with more than 7000 items distributed. The increase reflects not only our expanded reach as we serve more schools and partner agencies, it shows growing support as hygiene needs are recognized as a concern not limited to metropolitan areas.

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As we expand our impact in 2024, we are finding that programs rural schools used to tap to support student hygiene needs are no longer available. Soaps donated by manufacturers in years past are now gone and staff has begun to wonder how to meet the needs. Some schools have found that reaching out via their parent networks have helped, others have found a non-profit to sponsor them. 

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These findings have simply reinforced our understanding that the need is real and strengthened our resolve to be available for those schools if their current resources are no longer available.

Join Us

We invite you to join us on this journey. 

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From donations of time (host a product drive or a packing party, spend some time spreading the word via social media or introduce us to your employer and social groups) to donations of money (become a monthly donor, support our back to school initiatives or become a SchoolCare sponsor) to there are many ways to get involved.  

 

We can customize an opportunity for you / your organization.  Questions?  Reach out to Kelly Johnson  at Blair Radio or Kelly

Richards at email Info@KindnessKits.Info.

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​​Blair Radio does not distribute Kindness Kits.  If you represent an agency interested in learning more, please contact info@kindnesskits.info

2023 (Year 1) by the Numbers

7

Counties Served

29

Agencies

19,000

Items Distributed

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2023 Donors

Kindness Kits is truly a neighbor helping neighbor program so we'd like to recognize a few donors who helped us in our launch year:

Blair Chiropractic

Blair Radio

Christ Lutheran Church, Blair

Cobalt Credit Union, Blair Branch

Dollar General Distribution Center - Blair

Family Dental Center of Blair

First Baptist Church, Blair

First Congregational Church, Blair

Heartland Family Dentistry, Blair

Jakes Sports Bar and Grill

Joe Peleska - State Farm Insurance Agency

Promedcare, Blair

Walmart, Blair

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Wahoo

Sassafras Galleria, Wahoo

4Imprint.com

plus Three Rivers Public Health and Reach Church for inviting us to participate in their outreach events

and Blair Healing Rooms volunteers and individual supporters.

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2023 Partner Agencies

Washington County, NE

  • Angel's Share

  • Blair Community Schools

  • Blair Police Department

  • Blair Library

  • Bridge From Violence (The Bridge)

  • Pack the Park (Event)

  • Washington County Food Pantry

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Burt County​, NE

  • Lyons Decatur Schools

  • Tekamah Public Library 

  • Tekamah Public Schools

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Dodge County, NE

  • Bridge From Violence (The Bridge)

  • Fremont Police Department

  • Scribner - Snyder Schools

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Douglas County, NE

  • Douglas County Community Alliance

  • The Beautiful Gate

  • Valley Public Library

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Saunders County, NE

  • Saunders County Food Pantry, Wahoo

  • Wahoo Community Schools

  • Wahoo Police Department

  • Wahoo Public Library

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Harrison County, IA

  • Logan Magnolia Schools

  • Logan Police Department

  • Missouri Valley Library

  • Missouri Valley Police Department

  • Sunrise Community Church Non-Food Pantry

  • WCCA Food Pantry, Logan

  • West Harrison School District

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Monona County, IA

  • WCCA Food Pantry, Onawa

  • WCCA Angel Tree, Onawa

  • Onawa Mobile Pantry (October 2023)​​​

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