I’ve always enjoyed helping others. When I was younger, my family would often prepare a warm meal and drop it off for a neighbor, friend or someone in need. Over the past two decades, I’ve made a career out of supporting and helping folks – first in Human Resources and now as an Executive Coach. As a mom, I look for ways every day to teach my children the importance of helping others and of treating people with respect and kindness.

In 2012, I had my fourth child in six years and was surviving in that infant/toddler/child-induced bubble where the clock says 9:00 p.m. and you can’t remember if you showered yet. The one thing I do remember, was the seemingly never-ending string of jaw-dropping news stories…a 68-year-old bus monitor being harassed by middle school boys? “The world is just mean,” I thought. “Something has to be done.”

I dreamed of a kinder, better world for my kids. In my house, we now call that world Wear the Cape.

Wear the Cape is the idea that we are all everyday heroes, or at least capable of being heroes by doing the right thing, the kind thing, the helping and inclusive thing. It is the hope that we can teach our children the power of kindness and good character, making our communities better places to live.

I’m trying to spread this message through Wear the Cape apparel and gear. The products come with Hero Tags, which create opportunities for parents to discuss character-building, teachable kinds of moments, while sharing the coolness of kind. The tags present different scenarios that will likely be encountered by our country’s youth and challenges that they will need to think through: What’s the right thing to do here? What choice would best exemplify wearing the cape?

10% percent of all net profits on the sale of the apparel and gear and 100% of all donations will go directly to the kidkind foundation. As I build the foundation, I’d like to hear your ideas on how we should give back. Do you envision scholarships? Maybe Character Camps in your community? Or teaching parents how to help their kids avoid cyberbullying? Please contact me on Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr…post a comment on the Wear the Cape blog or drop me a note through our contact page.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for supporting this mission. With your help, I’m hopeful my kids and yours can have that kinder, better world.