Strangers inspired by grieving dad's online tribute to dead son

A father mourning the suicide of his son figured a few dozen family friends might join the page he launched on Facebook, his attempt to share stories of kindness and to urge people to do good deeds without expecting anything in return.

Less than a month later, Dennis Vassallo's "The Kindness Challenge" page has more than 44,000 followers. Dozens of posts each day share stories of kindness, including heartwarming photos, words of thanks to doctors from cancer patients and motivational messages.

The page has become an oasis amid all the division, rancor and anger online; a big virtual hug.