Season 2
If you’ve spent time in Tucson, you’ve probably seen one — a green “Be Kind” bell hanging somewhere in the community. Maybe outside a business, in a park, or somewhere unexpected.
In this episode of Two Lane Tucson, I sit down with Autumn Rentmeester and Katie Kevershan of Ben’s Bells to talk about how a deeply personal loss turned into one of Tucson’s most recognizable community movements.
We talk about the origin of the bells, the volunteers who help create them, and how the organization grew into a nonprofit focused on teaching kindness as a skill that can be practiced every day.
Guests: Autumn Rentmeester and Katie Kevershan
Organization: Ben’s Bells
Location: Tucson, Arizona
Category: Nonprofit / Community Kindness Initiative
Autumn Rentmeester and Katie Kevershan share the story behind one of Tucson’s most recognizable symbols — the green “Be Kind” bells placed throughout the city.
Ben’s Bells began after the unexpected loss of a young boy named Ben. In the year that followed, his family and friends gathered in a backyard clay studio to create ceramic bells in his memory.
On the one-year anniversary of his passing, they placed 400 bells throughout Tucson as a thank you to the strangers whose small acts of kindness helped carry them through that first year of grief.
What began as a personal act of remembrance resonated with the community. Today more than 90,000 bells have been distributed throughout Tucson and beyond.
Autumn and Katie explain how the organization grew, how thousands of volunteers help craft the bells, and how Ben’s Bells developed kindness education programs for schools and workplaces.
Ben’s Bells is a nonprofit organization based in Tucson that promotes intentional kindness through community participation and education programs.
Thousands of volunteers help craft the ceramic bells that are distributed throughout the community each year. When someone discovers a bell, they are invited to take it home as a reminder to practice kindness.
The organization also runs kindness education initiatives in schools and workplaces that encourage individuals to treat kindness as a skill that can be practiced and strengthened.
Learn more about the organization here: Ben’s Bells
Over the past two decades, Ben’s Bells has become deeply connected to Tucson’s identity. The green “Be Kind” message appears on bells, murals, stickers, and community events across the city.
The project continues to grow through volunteer participation, community support, and educational programs that encourage people to practice kindness in everyday life.
Two Lane Tucson highlights the stories behind businesses and organizations that helped shape the city.
Explore more conversations with Tucson founders, operators, and community leaders on the Two Lane Tucson podcast page .
Two Lane Tucson podcast series
One thing that stands out about Ben’s Bells is how powerful small actions can become when a community rallies around them.
For many local businesses, visibility works the same way. People may find the business through Google or Maps, but that visibility does not always turn into calls, visits, or steady revenue.
If you’ve ever wondered where that breakdown happens between being found and getting booked, I run a Pipeline Profit Inspection that looks at where leads are dropping off and what to fix first.
See what the Pipeline Profit Inspection includes
Below is a readable excerpt from the conversation. Minor edits were made for clarity.