Brody Ridder, age 12, had arrived home from school with a nearly empty yearbook. Despite asking many students for signatures, he only received signatures from two classmates and two teachers. So, Ridder wrote in his yearbook, “Hope you make some more friends.”

Cassandra Ridder, Ridder’s mom, shared a message with the parent’s Facebook group for the school. “Parents need to teach their children kindness, open up that dialogue. And if you see your child being mean to somebody else, talk to them about how that could possibly make them feel. Talk to them about intent versus impact,” she wrote. Immediately after posting this to the school community, she also posted it on her personal Facebook to keep her friends updated. After, support for Brody exploded as celebrities, companies, parents, and kids reached out online and in person to Brody.

Most importantly, Paul Rudd, also known as Ant-Man, FaceTime called Ridder and sent him a handwritten note to help him feel better. In addition, Ridder even received his own signed Ant-Man helmet from Paul. Eventually, as Brody returned to school, a group of high schoolers visited his class and signed his yearbook, which was extremely helpful for Brody.

Finally, Cassandra is reaching out to nonprofits that help bullied kids, helping spread kindness and empathy to others.