Butterfly Coins Project Spreads Kindness by Being Passed On

Butterfly Coins Project Spreads Kindness by Being Passed On

Ron Hornbaker was standing outside Slick Willie's in Austin, Texas when he heard a man muttering to himself about having low blood sugar. He reached out to him, had a chat and handed him a $20 bill including a coin, not just a coin, but a Butterfly Coin.

Hornbaker is a co-founder of the project

Hornbaker is a co-founder of the project, Butterfly Coin, alongside former college roommate, Bruce Pedersen, of Sandpoint. The goal of the project is to spread kindness, to encourage people to pay it forward, to show that we’re all in this together.

Bruce Pedersen is a co-founder of the project

So, how does The Butterfly Coin work?

You buy a coin and you carry it with you, wherever you go. The two founders hoped that when people see a way to show kindness to others, you do so by giving them the coin, with the charge of doing something kind to someone else.

Users can track the coin using a code. They can also add stories online of the kindness they have done and see where it has been.

The Butterfly Coin project

While they were planning on the project, Bruce already had a physical token in mind but they weren't sure what message it would decide on, they narrowed it down to kindness. It is something universal and it feels good to make other people feel good. On the first run of the project, they have already sold out over 5,000 coins.

Stories of The Butterfly Coin

Stories of The Butterfly Coin

There are lots of shares of stories of kindness towards other people by the use of the coins. Some people pass it on to commemorate special occasions, memorialize, recognition, and achievements. Some people give it to reciprocate the kindness that they received from a stranger. 

One particular story is about Jody Fritz, a worker at Headlines Salon in Sandpoint. She received a coin and a gift certificate from a client. She was given the coin because according to her client, she would do well. Because of this, Jody got interested in the project, she really liked the idea of it. 

She said she keeps the coin in her drawer, waiting for the right moment where she can give the coin to another person.

Butterfly Coins are Made To Last

Butterfly Coins are Made To Last

According to Hornbaker, the coins have a real weight to them to remind people to help or pass the coins on to. They have 15,000 second-edition coins coming in the near future. They can be bought at a price of $6.95 each or less if they are purchased in greater quantities. They weigh 2 ounces and 2 inches in diameter.

The gentlemen hope that the coins will last decades, if not centuries. That they will keep on getting passed on and keep spreading kindness.

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”

- Princess Diana