In the wake of a divisive 2016 US presidential campaign, natural personal products company Olivia Care decided it wanted to help communities mend fences. The Los Angeles-based company is using the power of social media to inspire change by challenging American-owned businesses to do random acts of kindness around their communities, document the experiences, and share them using the hashtag #AmericaCaresChallenge.
 
The 20-year-old family-run company kicked off the campaign by donating thousands of bars of Savon by Olivia Care soap to charitable organizations across the country, including to more than 80 Salvation Army locations—and filmed one drop off at the local Salvation Army outpost.
 

 
“During this past election, we’ve noticed so much negativity and bickering between human interactions, and it was starting to affect our own lives. For example, Facebook has pretty much acted as a political boxing ring during this past year. People were treating one another so poorly, showing so much disrespect, frustration, and anger towards one another. That is why we began putting this idea together and teamed up with FYM Agency to donate product to local Salvation Army branches nationwide. We wanted to try and counter all of the bad energy that we were observing with something positive, something good,” Jonathan Abesera, vice president of Olivia Care, told Happi.
 
There are many businesses nationwide already making donations, but their efforts are rarely known or promoted, according to Olivia Care.  According to a survey conducted by social network Alignable, of small businesses that plan on giving, 81% plan to give donations in the form of cash, 75% will give goods or services and 67% plan to donate personal time. Human services, such as food banks and shelters, was the top charity of choice for 77% of respondents; 46% will give to youth groups, and 41% will give to community development organizations.
 
Alignable’s study found that charity efforts by small businesses help to foster a strong sense of community, particularly when focused on local needs.
 
Abesera insists the America Cares Challenge, which officially launched in November, provides businesses a platform to share their charitable experiences and inspire others to do the same.
 
“The businesses and organizations that we have already come in contact with have gravitated towards our example of kindness and patriotism, and have claimed that they will be joining us in our efforts to help bring this country back together. This movement is really just about that; getting back to uniting this country and helping one another in times of need,” Abesera told Happi just days after the company kicked off the campaign.
 
Olivia Care was founded by Henri Abesera, who made and sold triple-milled olive oil bar soaps. Today, the West Coast company has grown beyond bar soaps to include a variety of natural bath and beauty products in health food stores such as Whole Foods, as well as in Target and also through several online retailers.
 
Among its newest products are three new Aromatherapy Fragrance Oils that can be applied to pulse points (back of wrists, behind ears, and sides of neck) or can be used as massage oils.
 
“Fragrance oils are a great alternative to perfume because they’re alcohol free and hydrate the skin thanks to sweet almond oil,” said Abesera.  “The different fragrances, Lavender, Rose, and Bergamot, have a therapeutic effect on the mind and spirit.”
 
And in many ways, the America Cares Challenge is designed to do the same.
 
“We want business, big and small, to come together and show the American people that our morals are not dead, simply lost at the moment,” Abesera concluded.