When she noticed a friend’s empathetic response to a Facebook post attracting a mob of haters, Wendy Babcock started thinking. “My friend’s comment was kind, understanding, and compassionate. I realized we need more comments like this,” explains Wendy, who brainstormed about a system to bring kind people to posts, plus invite others to comment with kindness as well. For this author of inspirational books, including How to Sparkle Where the Sun Don’t Shine, the words bucket brigade came to mind. “The traditional meaning of bucket brigade is to pass buckets of water from one person to another to put out a fire,” she says. “This was exactly my thought about leaving so many comments of kindness—that we would pour buckets of kindness on hate and bullying, drowning it out by squelching the ‘hate fires.'”
Wendy’s solution was to create a Facebook group dedicated to this purpose, using the hashtag #kindnessbucketbrigade. Astonishingly, her group acquired a community of 6,300 members in a little over two months. “People use the Kindness Bucket Brigade hashtag to prevent and stop online bullying. They have also been using it for those who need support and prayers,” she says. “Members began tagging one another and using the hashtag when they see people in need of love, support, and kindness. We see so much negativity in the world on TV, social media, and news outlets that this has been a breath of fresh air for many of us. The Kindness Bucket Brigade and our amazing online community have seriously restored my faith in humanity!”
