A Calgary woman is proving that a little bit of kindness goes a long way

With the hardships that have isolated individuals over the past few years, it can be difficult to remember the community that supports you.

That isolation is what sparked the creation of Kind Crafts, a non-profit organization that creates craft kits to send to people to remind them that they’re not alone.

After COVID took the world by surprise, Emily Mathers began making crafts with her daughter Violet to send to family and friends. Now, that hobby has turned into something so much bigger.

Crafting through life’s challenges

Mathers, who is a nurse and a mom to three young children, found herself on maternity leave with her youngest son Simon who had health problems.

Spending a lot of time in the hospital, Mathers and her family found themselves facing a long road of specialists and inpatient treatment.

“Despite all the healthcare providers on our son’s team, we had a hard time finding answers,” Mathers explains. “We spent a lot of time waiting for the next appointment, next round of blood work or test and in that emergency room.”

Continuing to create crafts through this hard time, Mathers realized that the kits made people feel more connected, and she ended up sending hundreds of kits to Inn from the Cold in 2021.

Once a month, Mathers brings a small group together to assist with the packing of 500 craft kits, which she donates to the Alberta Children’s Hospital. The craft kits are distributed to the children waiting for their procedures or to be seen.

“Showing up for your community, spreading kindness, learning patience, and embracing creativity and imagination is very important in the way I want to raise my children,” Mathers says.

Kids have the most creative ideas

Mathers has made a variety of different kits, most stemming from the ideas of her children.

With her kids’ creativity, the family has created mask kits, etch-a-rainbow kits, the lifecycle of a caterpillar kits, the happy scrappy kit, and much more.

Each kit is crafted with care and love, and is meant to show the community just how important each individual is, Mathers says.

“When life felt the darkest, so many loving people surrounded my family, and now our Kind Crafts. I am so grateful to my dear friends for giving abundantly of their time and kindness with no hesitation,” Mathers says.

“I can see it in my children as well, it being second nature to care for the people around them [and] it is beautiful to witness.”

The Mathers family solely funds the projects and hopes to continue to grow Kind Crafts. Mathers also hosts giveaways and is thankful for any support her organization receives.