How a Service Dog Inspired a Campaign Promoting Human Interaction, Kindness

Two brothers from New England are encouraging people to be kind to one another with a non-profit campaign. Spread Positivity promotes positive interaction and kindness. Maine native Jeff Cassidy came up with the idea thanks to his service dog, Lola. “The irony was, it took me seeing a dog engage humans and make them smile and make their lives better – for at least an instant, every day – for me to realize, hey, maybe we should try to do that on a human level,” said Cassidy. Right now, Spread Positivity is organizing “compliment parties” to highlight the importance of giving a compliment as a simple way to make them feel good. Jeff’s brother, Capt. Chris Cassidy, is the chief astronaut at NASA. He hopes to get more involved with the campaign after leaving government service. < "Doing something that does good for people and not just in a self-serving way but to share the experiences I’ve had in life, to give people inspiration, is something that really excites me," Capt. Cassidy said. To learn more and get involved, check out the group’s website.