Couple is distributing trackable kindness coins as a tribute to their late son

Stephen and Courtney Knight received a terrible call in June 2018. They were informed that their eldest son Elijah, aged 14 at the time, had passed away in a tragic accident while away for the summer at camp. As a violent thunderstorm passed through his campsite, a tree was knocked down into the teenager's tent, killing him. Following his unfortunate death, his parents were inspired to create the nonprofit, Kindness to Action, in their son's honor, PEOPLE Magazine reports. According to the couple, Elijah was a warm soul who cared deeply about being kind to others. Prior to his death, he had been working on an Eagle Scout project for which he decided to focus on acts of kindness. In fact, the idea for the nonprofit was motivated by one of his mantras: "Start everything with kindness and the end will be okay."

Stephen shared during his son's funeral, "In our grief and out of our struggle, we asked Elijah's generation to turn kindness into action: you cannot have one without the other." The couple's nonprofit has launched a new initiative called Kindness Coins. Through the campaign, they hope to inspire people around the world to perform good deeds. "These are challenge coins made in Elijah's honor. They have intrinsic, intangible worth in that they are awarded and not won and given freely," he shared. "We want to recognize and appreciate those who are doing the work of kindness in the world."

Each coin possesses a unique serial number that can be registered on the Kindness to Action website in addition to a description of an act of kindness. These acts are then represented on a map to point out all the good deeds people have done in Elijah's memory. At present, the nonprofit is busy distributing 5,000 Kindness Coins. Each coin is inscribed with Elijah's special phrase. Stephen explained, "We are asking for people to nominate either those who are doing works of kindness and deserve a coin or those who could become kindness ambassadors."

Those interested in receiving their own coin of kindness can either register or request one through Kindness to Action's official website. This will allow the nonprofit to track the Kindness Coins as they travel around the world. Along with these coins, the couple hopes others will help them come up with interesting campaigns to keep the kindness going. Stephen claimed they will "rely on the creative energy of this generation" to devise and launch additional projects in the future. You can check out the Kindness to Action website by clicking the link here.