Thank you to all the businesses and residents who have agreed to display the Please Be Kind! signs. I, along with some other community-caring friends, have been implementing this repurposed political lawn sign initiative through my 501c3 nonprofit, Community Volunteers United, based in Branford. There are many reasons why I started this specific campaign, but to sum it up, I believe there’s been too much aggression in our communities lately, so I wanted to remind people to be kind and respectful to each other.

It is important to note that many good people are going through difficult situations that others don't know about, so if you experience someone being unkind, take a moment to pause because you don’t know what caused it. Here are some examples of things you may not know about: someone found out their best friend has cancer, someone lost their job, someone had a loved one or pet pass away, someone is going through a difficult breakup, and so on. So, this PSA campaign aims to remind whoever sees these signs to be kind, respectful, and remember they live in a “community.”

These signs have inspired countless people along the shoreline to reach out and tell me that these signs are uniting those who agree that kindness, compassion, and community are important things we need to be reminded of… so, maybe kindness and community thinking will unite people after the last few years of divisiveness and angst? Imagine that.

Our nonprofit goal is to remind people to be kind to each other—simple. There are no religious or political agendas—just a reminder of civility. If you agree with us, please spread the word in person, socially, digitally, and when you can. If you do not agree with all of us, that’s okay, too. Please ignore the signs.

Ken Engelman

Community Volunteers United

Branford