Born This Way Foundation, founded by Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, who is its president, focuses on mental health initiatives for young people. Its annual #BeKind21 campaign, which encourages participants to perform a daily act of kindness, either toward themselves or to others, started on the first of the month and is running through Sept. 21.“One young woman wrote in and thanked us because she chose those 21 days not to harm herself,” Ms. Germanotta said.

“That was courageous and amazing.” As for Ms. Germanotta, one of her favorite acts is to pay anonymously for the person behind her at coffee shops. “It’s like being the kindness fairy,” she said. Ms. Germanotta, 67, lives with her husband, Joe Germanotta, 64, in a condo on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Together, they own the nearby Italian restaurant Joanne Trattoria.