In a world that feels increasingly stressful and disconnected, 18-year-old Lincoln Laverack reminds us that kindness is the best medicine. “Being kind means to be loving and caring. Everyone should be loved,” he says. As the designer of this year’s “Be Kind” t-shirt, Lincoln hopes that when people see or wear his design, “they feel loved.”
Lincoln’s shirt design features a heart, which was his favorite part of the project, because he got to work on it with his mom, Julie Laverack, CHC/SEK Patient Education and Support Manager. He chose purple for the shirt because it’s his favorite color and represents the Pittsburg High School Dragons. “I bleed purple,” Lincoln said proudly.
Lincoln wanted to design the shirt this year because 2025 is a very important year to him, it’s the year he graduates from high school.
The shirt also has a deeper meaning. Lincoln dedicated it to his best friend, Matthew Pence, who passed away in 2024. Creating this shirt is Lincoln’s way of honoring Matthew and their friendship.
“We were friends since birth,” Lincoln says. “We were the ornery duo. I saw him almost every day and tried to make him laugh.”
Julie says Lincoln has always had a kind heart. “He’s been kind his whole life,” Julie says. “He greets everyone he sees. Everyone knows Lincoln.”
Lincoln plays football at PHS and qualified for state in high school powerlifting all four years. This year, he was selected to compete in powerlifting for Special Olympics Kansas, which he is very excited about.
T-shirts are sold to benefit the Fairy Godmother Fund, providing direct support of CHC/SEK patients and employees. A total of 232 “Be Kind” shirts have been sold so far, more than any CHC shirt ever. That’s 232 reminders to treat others with kindness. And we could all use more of that.