JEROMESVILLE— Kindstock returns to Hillsdale to bring peace, kindness and music together to raise money for families in need on Saturday from 12-6 p.m.
The event features all-day live music from bands across the state, food, games, raffles, vendors and more, all there with the same goal: to raise money for local charities.
All proceeds from the event will go to Hillsdale Cares, an nonprofit that helps people in the Hillsdale school district with food, clothing and shelter need, and Appleseed Community Mental Health Center’s Appleseed Falcon Fund, which provides families with counseling and crisis help.
Admission to the event requires a donation to one of those organizations.
It’s the third ever Kindstock, marking its return after the COVID-19 pandemic and building shifts left it in hibernation.
“Music and kindness are for all ages,” event organizer and Hillsdale Kindness Club Advisor Scarlett Raines said.
The first one launched in 2018 after two students wanted to do something with music for Raine’s newly created Kindness Club. The two came up with Kindstock: modeled Woodstock principles of peace and music.
The fifth-12th grade librarian started Kindness Club to show students it is always free to be kind, and it feels good to do so.
“Our new motto is ‘kindness spreads like tie dye,'” Raines said.
Now the club has 26 members this year. They meet twice monthly to talk about what they can do to be kind to others, whether that’s in school or out in the community.
The club has been organizing the event since last year, raising awareness throughout the school, partnering with other clubs to add to the activity list and decorating the school ahead of the event.
Other local nonprofits will also have booths at the event to promote ways community members can become involved to spread kindness throughout Ashland County.
“We know the word unity is in community,” Raines said.
The school’s resource officer, Deputy Brian Martin, also launch Kindness Kash ahead of the event. Students who perform an act of kindness, receive Kindness Kash and can trade it in for a prize at Kindstock.
“The concept is if you’ve been kind, you will get rewarded,” Raines said.
In previous years, the event has raised a couple thousand dollars, but Raines will be happy with whatever amount the event raises, because it will “go back into the district to help our families out.”