New campaign launches to honor Martin Richard's message of peace

BOSTON — On Boylston Street, where two bombs killed three people and terribly injured hundreds more during the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing, life resumes as normal.

As the tragedy of that day remains painfully etched in Boston's memory more than two years later, an image of innocence prevails: 8-year-old Martin Richard, the bombing's smallest victim, holding up a sign with five powerful words: "No more hurting people ... peace."

Shortly after Martin was identified as one of the victims, the picture of him holding the handmade poster circulated around the country — his look of kindness offering a stark contrast to the sparks of evil that took his life, as well as the lives of 29-year-old Krystle Campbell and 23-year-old Lu Lingzi.

In a TIME.com op-ed piece Monday, Martin's parents Bill and Denise Richard announced The Martin Richard Bridge Builder Campaign, which calls upon kids, teens, and families to spread their son's message of peace through service projects and acts of kindness.

"Martin was known as a peacemaker, he brought people together and helped to show his peers that you don’t have to be a grown up to make a difference. Kids are natural bridge builders—on the playground, at the lunch table, in the classroom—and all of their simple acts of kindness can add up to make a big difference," Bill and Denise Richard, co-founders of The Martin Richard Foundation, wrote.

Hasbro and generationOn, the youth service division of Points of Light, joined with The Martin Richard Foundation to create The Martin Richard Bridge Builder Campaign.

The logistics of the campaign are simple: swarm social media with messages of peace and images of acts of kindness using the hashtag #NoMoreHurtingPeople. Whether it's planting a garden, creating a mural, or simply inviting someone to sit at a school lunch table, Bill and Denise Richard just want kids to showcase the importance of choosing kindness over hate.

Earlier this year, 27 kids across the country were awarded a "Bridge Builder" grant from Hasbro and generationOn for creating a service project in honor of Martin's memory. As part of the Bridge Builder Campaign, guidelines for these service projects are now featured on the campaign's website so kids can easily implement them in their own communities.

Karen Davis, Hasbro senior vice president of global philanthropy, said our country today needs a movement of peace "more than ever."

"We've all seen these incidents of violence and disrespect toward people increasing, and it is important in the point that our country is at that we equip kids to be more passionate," Davis said. 'We've always thought kids can be the problem solvers in their communities and can help build a country that is more compassionate."

Kathy Saulitis, senior vice president of external affairs for generationOn, said these projects come in many different forms and from all over the country: One created from California, which encourages kids to go around and take pictures of people doing kind things in their communities, while another from Kentucky calls on diverse groups of kids (homeless, foster care, or recent immigrants) to come together to complete a service project.

One project that also stands out, Saulitis said, was created by 12-year-old Maxwell Surprenant from Needham, Mass. 

Surprenant asked his friends and family to write the two words that matter to them the most on cut out hearts and share their creation with him. It started with just a few hearts here and there, and now Maxwell said he has received over 1,200 and more keep coming. Once he got enough hearts, he created a slideshow of all of them and sent it to the Richard family.

Maxwell said he was inspired to create this project because even though he never knew Martin, he said they shared similar qualities and were very close in age.

"The Boston marathon has always been something special for me, but when everything happened it was so personal for me because Martin Richard was just a little bit younger," he said. "I think that Martin and I are similar because we believe that every child has something unique and wonderful to give to the world, and if we want to help someone, we can."

Follow Paste BN reporter Trisha Thadani on Twitter: @TrishaThadani