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hockey player and a nonprofit owner. What started as a passion project for Wright and his family has evolved into a full-blown oper- ation. With the support of his grandmother, Sharon Marrama, and a community service mindset from his mother, Erica Wright, Connor created Connor's Kindness Project. "It's pretty crazy," Connor said. "When I first started, I didn't really expect it to be even a nonprofit. It's pretty cool to see. Even when we did decide we were going to create more of a real organization, I didn't expect to be where we are now. "It's cool to look back and see the impact we've had over the last couple of years." During the COVID -19 pandemic, Connor sat with his family and watched the news, distraught by how many people were strug- gling to survive and find joy during hard times. With a background in volunteering for the Special Olympics and different organiza- tions across New England, Connor did not want to sit idly by. He decided with his grandma to do one or two acts of kindness a month. They start- ed making care baskets for first responders and critical workers during the pandem- ic—nurses, police officers and firefighters— and once they started making care baskets, they couldn't stop. Inspired by non-profits and other organizations in the community, Connor and his grandmother started making their "kindness kits." Without any funding to make the kits, Connor and his grandmother set up shop for multiple days on the beach with a lemonade stand. They not only sold lemonade, but also bracelets, snacks and other drinks made by Sharon. With the money they raised, Connor made the first 250 kindness kits. All in a little red box, the kindness kits are filled with toys, educational tools and any- thing to distract or help a kid in a difficult sit- uation. From slime to Mad Libs, the kindness kits have everything a kid may need while going through tough times. Connor may have personally packaged those first 250 kits, but the operation is much larger now. Connor's Kindness Project has distributed 10,000 kits since 2021 and is a nonprofit organization with a board of directors, volunteers and people helping spread Connor's message. With the volunteering mindset instilled in Connor from a young age, he wasn't done helping his community. As an extension of the Kindness Project, Connor started the Kids Kindness Club. The Kids Kindness Club was created with the goal of creating more ele- mentary-age children who have the knack for volunteering. Connor's Kindness Project has helped implement the Kindness Club in over 50 schools and hopes to expand to many more. "We usually ask them to complete 30 acts of kindness in about one or two months," Connor said. "They're small things, like holding the door for somebody, giving a compliment to somebody. They can be big- ger things, like volunteering at an organi- zation, or giving some of your toys or old clothes away. "If I get these kids thinking about things they can do to help their friends, their teach- ers or their community, that might lead them to do more later in life." Becoming a nonprofit organization is tumultuous, from funding and grants to gain- ing recognition. However, as the little red boxes and acts of kindness spread through- out New England, schools and donors start- ed contacting Connor. As a 15-year-old, Connor has a busy sched- ule. With a dedication to hockey, Connor participated at last summer's USA Hockey Player Development Camp, he continues to work on his on-ice skills. Meanwhile, he is also extremely dedicated to his academ- ics, but, somehow, he finds time in his busy schedule to dedicate to the Kindness Project. With the scale of the Kindness Project, Connor doesn't need to be as hands-on. Erica is handling the financials, and the entire board helps ensure the nonprofit is going in the right direction. There are also plenty of volunteers ready to pack and distribute kindness kits. With a lemonade stand and a motivation to do good, Sharon and Connor didn't realize the endeavor ahead. They never thought the project would become a nonprofit and that the organization would do much good for their community. But thanks to Erica's drive for community service and her son's desire to do good, Connor's Kindess has changed lives. "I'm definitely super proud of him," Erica said. "It's also been quite inspiring to watch him and my mom kind of take this project on. The two of them are really the face of the organization and the two that are connecting with anyone and everyone that we're relating to as an organization. "The momentum and the growth potential that the project has is really fun to watch." P If I get these kids thinking about things they can do to help their friends, their teachers or their community, that might lead them to do more later in life. JAN/FEB 2025 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 43 VIDEO: Connor's Kindness Project | Sherri Shepherd