Courtesy photo The new Life Vest Loaner Station created by Cris Lucier and Tyler Moore of Kindness Rocks Delta County was installed in Escanaba over the weekend.

ESCANABA – A local group installed a life vest loaner station in Escanaba over the weekend.

Kindness Rocks, the group behind the Little Free Sled Library and the Little Free Theatre Library, unveiled its latest project – the Life Jacket Loaner Station.

Kindness Rocks is led by soon-to-be-wed Cris Lucier and Tyler Moore, who are on a mission to spread kindness to others.

Lucier said he was inspired to create the loner station by a coworker who showed him a similar project in another community.

“I put it in the back of my mind. I’m like, well, you know, if I can get to it, that’s a great idea,” he said.

He also shared that one day he was at a local beach with some friends, and a member of the Delta County Search and Rescue Team was supposed to meet them there, but couldn’t make it as he was called to a water rescue.

“I just thought, we just need that extra life vest opportunity for somebody to have a life vest if they don’t happen to have one, or we’re giving an opportunity to maybe not need the search and rescue to go out or save a life,” he explained.

Lucier and Moore recently finished a project for their wedding and had enough material left over to construct the loaner station.

“I was like, well that would make a nice base and that would make a nice stand, and then I’m like, all right, we’re doing it,” Lucier said.

Lucier and Moore constructed the stand, painted it, and were ready to transport it to Escanaba.

All that was left was acquiring the life vests, and Lucier didn’t have to look far for help.

Several community members donated to the cause, including Pam Casteel Brown, May Verhamme Feuerbach, Melanie Thull Wellman, Valine Kobasic, Sue Nyman Parker, and more.

The station is equipped with 20 free-to-use life vests at the Escanaba Municipal Harbor.

Lucier said the station could always use more vests in different sizes, if anyone in the community can help out.

He added that Kindness Rocks is working on a second station for the Gladstone Harbor.

“Let’s just make sure that we’re always being safe with kindness, and if you need a vest, they’re there and available, and they don’t cost anything to rent,” Lucier said.

“Spreading kindness is free.”

To learn more about Kindness Rocks, visit its Facebook page at Kindness Rocks Delta County.

For donations, Lucier can be reached on Facebook Messenger or via email at clucier01@gmail.com.