Spread Goodness Initiatives
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization our primary focus is our annual celebration of Spread Goodness Day. But, we take goodness to the streets and beyond with a variety of fundraisers, random acts of kindness & and community programs throughout the year.
Bundle Up Marquette
Our annual initiative “Bundle Up Marquette” spreads goodness & warmth with cozy clothes to our community for winter! ⛄️
We collect donations with gold boxes placed outside local businesses. Bennett Media Group in Marquette, Jimmy John’s & Dis ‘n Dat in Gwinn have been partnered as collection sites.
On a Saturday (TBD for 2025), from 10am - 5pm, community members can come “shop” the donations along the fence & park at Sandy Knoll Elementary School in Marquette! Take what you need to stay warm. There will be no media, no photos of people “shopping”.
Volunteers sort the donations at Bennett Media Group each year & than help us “dress the park” for shoppers. We organize the donations by category to make it feel like you can really “shop” for what you need instead of rifling through random items.
We have received, and given away, thousands of gently used, & new, winter apparel. We request winter hats, gloves/mittens, warm socks, jsckets, boots, snow pants/suits, scarves.
Anything that is left over after our day of free shopping goes directly into another community winter clothing drive of choice. We have donated leftover jackets to the Ripple Effect NMU & Goodwill NMUP received all remaining donations for Marquette Area Public School students. For 2025, we are collaborating to have multiple cities hosting their own collections & giveaways.
Celebrity Pie Smash
In conjunction with Pi(e) Day, celebrated annually on 3/14, we hosted a fundraiser with Peace Pie Company benefiting Spread Goodness Day. Local “celebrities” take their seats in a half hour increments, while spectators, pay $5 to smash their favorite celebrity. Things have gotten creative with the offering that people can pay $5 to BLOCK a pie for someone and choose a different celebrity to pie in the face!
For 2022, funds raised were shared with Partridge Creek Farms to help fulfill our vision of supporting other organizations helping people “survive with more goodness.” We hope to bring pie smash back for 2025!
Smile 2 Infinity
This is not our initiative but, created in the spirit of celebrating spreading goodness together via unique “challenge coins”. Smile 2 Infinity exists to increase awareness of positive intentions and actions, while understanding the impact of those intentions and actions on our world.
A challenge coin is given in a meaningful exchange between the presenter and recipient. A coin may be given away ceremoniously or informally. It is also common for a challenge coin to be exchanged within a handshake. Regardless of how the coin is passed, a bond is created, personal value is added to the coin, and the coin takes the next step in its journey.
Many coins change hands once or twice and end up in a display, on a desktop or placed in a keepsake box. Other coins go much further, pass through many hands, and gain more value with each exchange.
Challenge coins are given away by individuals, companies, and organizations. They are handed out by leaders, colleagues, or among friends. The coin is a keepsake, a reminder that represents something special. For some it represents achievement, the realization of a lifelong dream. For others, it is not only a reminder but a challenge, encouraged by tradition, and carried on by those who honor it. The value of each coin is defined by the journey it takes and the significance the coin holds to both, the person who gives it, and the person who holds it.
Each challenge coin is designed with symbols, words, or phrases specific to its cause. Future challenge coins will recognize, encourage & support the spreading of smiles, goodness & recovery!
Other Projects
We are always finding new ways to spread goodness to various nonprofits, individuals and events. We have sponsored a dog using funds raised selling “good girl & good boy” custom bandannas for a local animal shelter.
We created custom T-shirts & raised money for Courage Incorporated, who provide free all-inclusive outdoor wilderness excursions to individuals and veterans with physical disabilities, and to those living with chronic/terminal illness, in an effort to help them get into the woods and get on the water.
Over the last seven years, it has been our playful pleasure to find special, every day ways to spread goodness. From leaving “If you find me, I’m yours” surprise bouquets around town to dancing for kindness to park/city clean-ups and more!
Spread Goodness Day IS every day and we have the choice, and endless power, to find opportunities to change the world with good.