THE LIVE YOUR DREAM CAMPAIGN
The Live Your Dream Campaign is to help support children, youth, teens, adults and animals internationally dealing with homelessness, illness, mental health issues and abuse. This campaign provides mental health assemblies and donation programs in schools, hospitals and shelters that focus on spreading kindness in communities around the world. This campaign is to create awareness and healing to the negativity and the long lasting effects of bullying and abuse, to help spread mental health awareness of the effects that bullying and abuse creates. We support and advocate for people who suffer from various illnesses, abuse, and mental health concerns and support people with autism and down syndrome, as well as to educate the community on the effects of verbal abuse in order to eliminate the negativity within lives, to accept people for who they are and to realize that everyone is beautiful.
All merchandise purchased helps provide free towels to animals in need, free snacks to homeless shelters and families in need, school supplies for schools in need and free cards to children in hospitals.
OUR TEAM
MAKENNA RUDDY
Founder & President
As someone who grew up with severe anxiety and depression as it runs in my family, school and camp was always very difficult for me. I was always very bullied starting at the age of around 8. I was always bullied about my personality and physical attributes, I was generally overweight as a child and the two words I always heard on a daily basis for 15 years straight was "fat" and "ugly" followed by laughter. Continuously I had unwanted thoughts and feelings and developed severe anxiety and depression.
I had a hard time getting through high school, and in the summer of 2009, I decided I needed to make a lifestyle change and become healthier, physically and emotionally so I started to eat better and exercised every day. A huge passion of mine is that I love making others laugh and smile and I wanted to create this campaign to make the world smile by making it a better place as I was truly inspired by Kind Campaign as I know how much it hurts to be called names, to be threatened and to feel like you are all alone.
In September 2010, I went to Seneca College in Toronto, and graduated in June 2013 with a Social Service Worker Diploma. Within those 3 years I had taken classes such as sociology, interpersonal communications, diversity, awareness & practice, social problems, group dynamics, human development, principles of practice, interviewing, community studies, families in change, case co-ordination, advocacy strategies, supportive counselling, child welfare, community practice, social policies & integrative seminars.
I have also studied human resources management and I also work as a Teaching Assistant/Social Service Worker for the Durham District School Board for children with special needs in Kindergarten to Grade 12. I am also an Ambassador for Kind Campaign and also work as a Veterinary Assistant part-time.
INSPIRATION: LAUREN PAUL
Kind Campaign Founder, Producer, Director & Writer
Lauren Paul is the founder of Kind Campaign.
“What started as a conversation in a cafe about the possibility of making a film together, turned into their award-winning documentary Finding Kind and their internationally recognized nonprofit, Kind Campaign. Since 2009, Lauren, along with her partner Molly have been on the forefront of the conversation surrounding bullying, implementing their school programming into thousands of communities across the globe.”
www.kindcampaign.com
INSPIRATION: MOLLY THOMPSON
Kind Campaign Co-Founder & Producer
Molly is the co-founder of Kind Campaign.
“Molly grew up in Dallas, cultivating her passion for helping others and creating positive change in the world. Her entire life changed during her junior year of high school when she endured a devastating, hurtful and lonely experience as she was ostracized by a group of girls. Ultimately, the year ended with reconciliation, forgiveness and healing, where she was able to gain perspective and realize that the negative event she went through was just one chapter of her life. Meeting Lauren at Pepperdine and ultimately starting Kind Campaign, made living through that traumatic time in high school all worth it.”
www.kindcampaign.com
