‘These kids have big hearts’: This teacher gave her students $20 to spend on good deeds — here’s what they did

Kindness may not be the loudest currency, but Kristina Ulmer — a high school English teacher in Pennsylvania — wanted to remind her students that it still holds value.

After the devastating loss of her younger sister, Katie Amodei, in a car accident in 2024, Ulmer found herself holding onto something more than just grief — $100 in tips recovered from Katie’s purse. Ulmer wanted to put it toward something meaningful but for a long time, she wasn’t sure what that would be.

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Then, an idea surfaced, wrapped in the pages of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. “It’s set in a time when everyone is glued to their screens and society lacks empathy,” Ulmer told the Washington Post. “Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It popped into my head that I could have my students do acts of kindness with my sister’s money.”

That’s when Ulmer decided that her students wouldn’t just read about a world lacking empathy; they would actively work against it.

With her sister’s money — and hundreds of her own dollars — Ulmer distributed $20 bills to each of her 25 students, giving them a simple assignment: commit an act of kindness and document it.

The $20 Kindness Challenge

A $20 bill might not seem like much, but in the right hands it can become a powerful lesson in both kindness and financial decision making.

That’s the idea behind the $20 Kindness Challenge: to encourage students to use a small sum to make a big impact. Whether it’s baking treats for local animal shelters or purchasing essentials for unhoused individuals, students are given the freedom — and the responsibility — to decide how best to spend their money.

“One of my favorites was a student who bought $20 worth of doughnuts while visiting some of her family members in the Midwest,” Ulmer said. “She stood on a corner with her uncle and randomly handed them out to people. It’s something she continues to do now every year.”

“These kids have big hearts. They’re incredibly thoughtful.”

Twice a year, Ulmer hands out $20 bills and her students’ acts of generosity are later compiled into a video montage for them to watch together. Since the project began, Ulmer and her students have collectively spent more than $7,000 on meaningful gestures, with the school now accepting donations to keep the initiative alive.

But beyond fostering kindness, the challenge also teaches students about financial literacy. The 2024 TIAA Institute-GFLEC Personal Finance Index found that U.S. adults correctly answered only 48% of its 28 financial knowledge questions. Gen Z scored even lower, averaging just 37%.

The $20 Kindness Challenge is more than just an exercise in generosity — it’s also a hands-on lesson in personal finance. By giving students a tangible sum and letting them decide how to spend it, Ulmer is introducing them to real-world budgeting.

Students are faced with essential financial questions like: How far can this money go? And what’s the best way to spend it? The challenge pushes them to think critically about priorities, trade-offs and the value of a dollar — skills that will follow them well beyond the classroom and into their adult lives.

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The power of giving

Generosity is often treated as an afterthought, something reserved for those with deep pockets and plenty of spare time. But research shows that giving back isn’t just good for the recipient — it’s a direct investment in personal well-being.

“Giving back has been shown to boost happiness, reduce stress, enhance self-esteem and strengthen social connections,” Megan Hays, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, shared with UAB News.

And yet, philanthropy is often viewed through a billionaire’s lens — large foundations, multimillion-dollar donations and grand gestures. But the impact doesn’t always have to be measured in zeros.

Sydney Cassel has participated in the $20 Kindness Challenge five times, long after the classroom assignment ended. Her first time, she headed to the dollar store and picked out holiday cards to deliver to residents in veterans’ homes. Since then, she’s kept the tradition alive, using the challenge to bake homemade treats for her teachers twice a year.

“The first time I participated in the challenge, I didn’t think it would be possible to make a difference with $20, but I learned that’s really not true,” Sydney said. “You don’t have to have millions — anyone can make a difference.”

A single, small act of giving can shift someone’s day, their week or even their outlook on life. And maybe that’s the secret to real wealth — it’s not what we have, but what we give.

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