Rock-hunting group is one of a kindness
Riverside Rocks members paint, hide rocks for others to discover
EAST PROVIDENCE – Colleen Braz likes to think of it as a scavenger hunt meant to promote positivity and kindness.
Painted rocks are being hidden all over the city and beyond for others to find and then re-hide. People of all ages can be seen posing with brightly and uniquely decorated rocks on the Facebook page “Riverside Rocks,” which Braz started three months ago.
Since then, the group has grown nearly 600 members who post about rocks they’ve painted, hidden or found.
Indeed. Riverside is becoming known as a hub of the painted-rock movement in Rhode Island, which has only one other rock painting group in South Country called South County Rocks.
The painted rock move- ment has exploded on social media, first taking hold through a few nationally organized groups like the Kindness Rocks Page and the Facebook group USA Painted Rocks. According to a Today Show story on the online phenomenon, communities all across the country have attracted tens of thousands of their residents to take part.
“It has become a grass roots kindness movement,” says Kindness Rocks founder Megan Murphy of Barnstable, Mass. “If one person finds a rock with a message that speaks to them during a difficult time, our efforts have made a difference. Our goal is to encourage others to find cool creative ways to reach out and brighten someone’s day unexpectedly whether it be through kindness rocks, love notes, or random acts of generosity.”
According to Braz, the premise is simple: Gather some flat paintable rocks and acrylic paint and decorate your rock and add an inspirational message. Next, write instructions on the bottom of the rock that tell the finder which Facebook group to post a photo to once it’s found. Then, hide.
You can also post a photo of the rock on the page after its hidden, giving clues as to location. Popular hiding spots include waterfront parks, beaches, playgrounds and family-friendly hiking trails.
Some people will only choose to create and hide, while others will paint, hide and find. If you find a rock, you can either re-hide it or keep it. Lots of people choose to keep their first rock and then re-hide the rest.
Braz, 46, a lifelong resident of Riverside, says she was introduced to the phenomenon while vacationing in Florida and decided it would be a fun thing to do in her home city of East Providence so she created the Riverside Rocks group on Facebook.
Her efforts have inspired hundreds of people throughout the city to paint rocks and encourage kindness.
“We’re doing this to spread kindness and put smiles on people’s faces,” Braz says. “Spreading joy to others has actually become an obsession.”
Braz says it’s also an easy and inexpensive way for the community to have fun.
“The goal is to get lots of people all across our community painting so there are lots of rocks to be hidden and in the process, you may find yourself rediscovering parts of our community that you haven’t appreciated in a while,” she says.