$20 Kindness Challenge: Turning Loss into a Classroom Movement

A grieving teacher turned her sister’s recovered tip money into a ripple of generosity that now inspires hundreds of students.

When Kristina Ulmer lost her younger sister, Katie Amodei, in a 2014 car crash, she found a small, unexpected legacy: a stack of $100 in tip money from Amodei’s waitressing job. Rather than let the money sit idle, Ulmer transformed it into a powerful lesson in empathy and community service.

The Spark of a Simple Idea

While teaching 9th‑grade English, Ulmer handed each student a crisp $20 bill and asked them to use it for a kind act. The assignment was open‑ended—no guidelines, no grading rubric—just a chance to honor Amodei’s lifelong compassion. Students baked cookies for nursing homes, bought toys for animal shelters, made bracelets for elementary schools, and even donated to disease research. Many pooled their own funds, creating videos that reflected on what kindness felt like.

From Classroom to Community

Word spread quickly. A teacher in New Jersey emailed Ulmer, asking for help to launch the challenge in her own school. Donations poured in, totaling over $7,000 and enabling more than 350 acts of kindness in Amodei’s name. By 2025, the $20 Kindness Challenge had become a registered nonprofit, and Ulmer’s own class had seen 425 students participate. The organization now offers grants to teachers who want to replicate the model, ensuring the ripple effect continues.

Why It Works

• Personal Connection: The challenge is rooted in a real story, giving students a tangible reason to care.
• Low Barrier to Entry: $20 is affordable, and the assignment is flexible, letting creativity flourish.
• Reflective Practice: Students share videos and reflections, reinforcing the emotional impact of their actions.
• Scalable Model: The nonprofit framework allows other educators to adopt the challenge with minimal setup.

Takeaway for Educators and Parents

The $20 Kindness Challenge shows that grief can fuel positive change. By turning a personal loss into a classroom tradition, Ulmer created a sustainable movement that teaches empathy, generosity, and community engagement. If you’re a teacher, consider starting a small kindness project—no more than a single bill—and watch how it transforms your students’ outlook and your school’s culture.

In the end, the challenge reminds us that even a modest amount of money, when paired with intention, can spark a wave of kindness that reaches far beyond the classroom.