REGINA — Travelers arriving at Regina International Airport on Thursday were met with something they likely weren't expecting.
Instead of quietly collecting their luggage, passengers walked into loud cheers, music, free coffee, cookies, donuts and dozens of smiling volunteers holding welcome signs, all with one goal: making sure every visitor's first impression of Regina was one of kindness.
The airport celebration marked the Good Morning Project's first-ever airport welcome party, the latest activation from a grassroots movement that has grown into one of Regina's most recognizable community initiatives in just over a year.
"We want to put smiles on people's faces as soon as they come to Regina," said student lead and event coordinator Kairo Holness. "We thought, let's activate the airport. The airport was right on board with the idea, and we said, let's make people happy as soon as they arrive."
Founded on June 3, 2025, by Regina entrepreneur Josh Stewart-Van Dusen alongside a team of community volunteers, the Good Morning Project encourages residents to spread kindness through one of the simplest gestures imaginable: saying "good morning."
What began as a personal habit has evolved into a city-wide movement supported by volunteers, schools, businesses and community leaders. Through daily social media videos, surprise pop-up events and random acts of kindness, the organization now reaches hundreds of thousands of people each month while promoting a more positive image of Regina.
Stewart-Van Dusen said the idea started after one unexpected interaction changed the way he viewed something most people rarely think about.
"I'm always the good morning guy," he said. "One morning, I just didn't say it, but someone looked at me and said, 'Good morning.' I realized that good morning meant a lot to me. I stewed on it for years, and then I decided, why don't we just get more people to say good morning like that guy did to me?"
For Stewart-Van Dusen, the project isn't about pretending Regina is perfect. It's about shining a light on the kindness that already exists throughout the city.
"The reason the Good Morning Project exists is because people are already kind in Regina," he said. "We're just bringing it to the surface."
The airport activation reflected that philosophy.
Volunteers greeted arriving passengers with music, conversation and giveaways while encouraging visitors to experience the city's welcoming spirit before even leaving the terminal.
"We love our airport and community," said Regina Airport Authority President and CEO James Bogusz. "Today has been a fantastic morning filled with music, free coffee, free cookies and even a prize wheel. This is all about showing love to our community, and we are honoured to host it here."
Bogusz said the airport serves more than 500,000 people across southern Saskatchewan every year, making it an ideal place to showcase Regina's personality.
"We are the community's airport," he said. "We like to show the community that we care, and projects like this amplify that."
For some visitors, the experience was unforgettable.
Flight attendant Nancy, who had just landed from Montreal, couldn't hide her excitement after walking into the celebration.
"Oh my God," she said. "That was the craziest thing I've done in my whole day. Amazing, Regina. Amazing."
The airport event is only one of many community activations planned by the Good Morning Project.
Throughout the year, volunteers surprise residents with random acts of kindness at farmers' markets, schools, senior homes and neighbourhood events while encouraging people to take part in the organization's "5 People Challenge," which invites participants to intentionally greet five strangers each day.
Holness said those small interactions can have a much bigger impact than people realize.
"I feel like we need more kindness in the community," he said. "Sometimes it's really hard to just walk up to someone and give them a free coffee or tell them to have a good day. Now I feel like this is a tool for us to really make kindness a bigger thing and make people happy."
As the movement continues to grow, organizers are looking for more volunteers to help with future activations, including another airport welcome event planned for Aug. 20 where they hope to have Regina's Mayor DJing the music and additional surprise pop-ups throughout the summer.
For Stewart-Van Dusen, success isn't measured by attendance, social media views or how many events the organization hosts.
Instead, he hopes the movement reminds people that changing a community often begins with ordinary moments between ordinary people.
"My dare to everyone in Regina is to understand that we're known globally for being amazing people," he said. "We just have to show up for each other each and every day. The Good Morning Project is here to facilitate that and give the gentle nudge for kindness here and there. If we can just look out for each other as residents in our city, I think kindness can go a long way to changing the narrative."
