How two young girls turned this city into the 'Kindness Capital of the Kentucky'

"Welcome to La Grange. The Kindness Capital of Kentucky."

The sign greets people as they enter Oldham County's largest city, but it's the story behind the sign that really puts kindness at the forefront.

The sign greets people as they enter this city of about 10,000 people just northeast of Louisville, but it's the story behind the sign that really puts kindness at the forefront.

Sisters Raegan and Rylyn Richins, now 14 and 12 respectively, started spreading their message of kindness in 2019 by making and selling "Be Kind" signs and donating the money to nonprofit groups. They also encouraged elected officials to designate La Grange "The Kindness Capital of Kentucky."

Now, five years and 5,000 signs later, the girls are just as excited about continuing their mission.

"It's crazy how much our community has come together to support us because we would not be here without them," Raegan said. "We wouldn't be able to ... donate all the money that we have because of them, because they've got to get the signs."

Raegan said the joy the signs bring to the community is what keeps her going. She and Rylyn also have a picture book in the works, which they said is their summer project.

The sisters sell the "Be Kind" signs for $10 at local shops. Their initial goal was 60 signs, but they've already made more than 5,000. They have donated the money to six charities, including the Humane Society of Oldham County, Down Syndrome of Louisville, American Red Cross and Blessings in a Backpack.

There are several other Be Kind movements around the world, including The Be Kind People Project in Arizona and the Be Kind Movement in England. But the girls got their inspiration while visiting a friend. The family wasn't having a good day, but seeing signs that read "Just Be Kind" put them in a better mood.

"We thought that was really cool and thought Oldham County needed a little bit more kindness," Rylyn said.

The girls stood before their elected officials in September 2019 and made the case for designating La Grange as the Kindness Capital of Kentucky. A month later, Mayor John Black signed the proclamation, the girls said during an interview on NBC's "Today" show the next year.

The journey has put them in the national spotlight, including being featured on HGTV's "Home Town Kickstart" and in People magazine. But all the attention hasn't kept them from being a normal family.

"It's not really a big deal for us. We just, like, do whatever we feel prompted to, like, if we feel like we want to serve someone and we just do it, it's no big deal," Raegan said. "We don't do this for the popularity."

And even though they are spreading a message of kindness, not everybody receives it. They said some kids at their school have assumed they do their work to gain popularity, and other people have gotten upset with the family when they were unable to make the signs because of bad weather or when their big sister, Kendall, was in the hospital.

Still, in those moments, they just think about the person on the other side and how they don't know what they are going through in their life.

The sisters live with their brother, Liam, and their sister, Lenna, who have Down syndrome, and their mother and father, Ryan Richins. They also have four dogs — a Boston terrier named Bolt, a Great Dane named Lola, an English mastiff named Rogue and a Labrador named Mia — along with five chickens and a cow.

Kendall, their big sister, also had Down syndrome and died in 2020. When she was sick, their mom was with her at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. "And that left their dad and my husband, a single dad at home because he was doing all of the meals, the babysitting, diaper changes," Rhonda Richins said. The girls took care of their brother and sister, along with chores around the house.

It was a tough time for everyone in the family, but making signs is what kept Reagan and Rylyn motivated.

Through all the chaos and the difficult situations "we always try to put the important things first and that's family," their mom said.

Reach Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez at abrinez@gannett.com; follow her on Twitter at @SoyAnaAlvarez.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 'Be Kind': These girls made LaGrange the kindness capital of Kentucky