LEXINGTON, Ky. — Grammy Award-winning country music legend and Kentucky native Crystal Gayle is returning to her roots as part of a television series highlighting acts of kindness, community connections and local businesses in Lexington and Winchester.
Finding Kindness Kentucky Strong brought Grammy award-winning country music icon Crystal Gayle together with Just Do GOOD Entertainment co-founders Monty Hobbs and Valerie Smaldone for a week of filming across Winchester and Lexington.
The Kentucky episodes of “Finding Kindness: Kentucky Strong” spotlight people, places and organizations whose generosity and community spirit are helping businesses and residents across the region.
Production included stops at businesses, nonprofits and community organizations in both cities, with Gayle joining Hobbs and Smaldone as they captured stories centered on connection, resilience and compassion.
Winchester honors ‘Finding Kindness Day’
One of the highlights came Aug. 12 in downtown Winchester, where Mayor JoEllen Reed proclaimed the day “Finding Kindness Day in Winchester, Kentucky.”
Reed presented the proclamation to Smaldone and Hobbs, co-founders of Just Do GOOD Entertainment and producers and hosts of “Finding Kindness: Kentucky Strong.” Gayle also participated in the ceremony.
According to the production, the recognition was intended to celebrate the series’ message of kindness, connection and community while welcoming Gayle back to Kentucky.
Filming in Winchester included The Winchester Cafe, a downtown restaurant located in a historic building that features vintage memorabilia from past Just Do GOOD Entertainment productions.
The series also visited several Winchester businesses and community partners, including Bluegrass Heritage Museum, Laura’s Mercantile, Mount Folly Farm and Mason on Main.
Two nonprofit organizations, GreenHouse17 and The St. Angels Foundation, also are expected to be featured for their work in the region.
“Winchester and Lexington gave us a remarkable backdrop for these episodes,” Hobbs said. “We are grateful to the businesses, nonprofits and neighbors who opened their doors and helped us capture the spirit of kindness that lives here.”
Smaldone said the stories discovered during production represented the type of community connections the program was created to highlight.
“Kentucky welcomed us with extraordinary warmth, and the stories we found are exactly why we created ‘Finding Kindness: Kentucky Strong,’” she said. “It was a joy to share this experience with Crystal and to celebrate the people whose everyday efforts strengthen their communities.”
Crystal Gayle returns to Kentucky roots
Gayle’s participation gives the production a particularly strong Kentucky connection.
A native of Kentucky and one of country music’s most recognizable voices, Gayle has built a career spanning more than five decades. She is known for hits including “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” and “Ready for the Times to Get Better.”
She is a Grammy Award winner, a member of the Grand Ole Opry and a member of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“Finding Kindness: Kentucky Strong” will use Gayle’s return to the commonwealth to introduce viewers to people and places across the region while combining entertainment with community-focused storytelling.
The production said the episodes will feature exclusive interviews with Gayle, local history, regional cuisine and stories about people making a difference in their communities.
Kentucky businesses get national exposure
For Lexington and Winchester, the production also provides an opportunity to showcase local businesses, nonprofits and attractions to an audience beyond Kentucky.
“Finding Kindness” is described as a travel and lifestyle series focused on stories of compassion, generosity and hope. The program combines storytelling with travel experiences and highlights communities and individuals making an impact.
Just Do GOOD Entertainment, the company behind the series, is an award-winning content production company founded by Monty Hobbs and Valerie Smaldone. Its projects include “Finding Kindness,” “Divine Renovation,” hosted by Erik Estrada, and “Air Angels.”
The new “Finding Kindness: Kentucky Strong” episodes are expected to showcase Winchester and Lexington through the people, organizations and locally owned businesses that give the communities their identity.
For Gayle, the project also provides an opportunity to return to the state where her story began while helping put a national spotlight on Kentucky communities.