Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
‘Kindness Rocks’ craze hits West Chester
West Chester Public Library creates garden for painted rocks that are meant to be shared
WEST CHESTER » Most gardeners dislike rocks.
Joyfully, there’s a new type of garden at the West Chester Public Library where instead of growing pumpkins and tomatoes, rocks are “planted” and welcome.
Those are not just any rocks. While they’re not edible, they speak positively to the soul.
Planting “Kindness Rocks” is a national movement and Chester County residents are sharing a bit of joy through the simple painting, and randomly hiding of, rocks.
Seventy-five parents and children met at the library Aug. 17 to paint and share.
Almost all of the rocks painted that day have been “harvested.”
Kindness Rocks are colorful and several deliver a hand painted message.
The group’s motto is to “take one, share one, hide one or add one.”
“Inspire others through randomly placed rocks along the way…” reads the national website, www.thekindnessrock-
sprojet.com.
“We’re helping children and families feel like there are simple things to do to make the world a better place,” library staffer Meg Diskin said. “You can hide the rock again for somebody else to find it or you can add more and make your own.”
It’s tough not to smile at the sometimes basic, and at other times, intricate designs.
“How can you make somebody’s day better?” Diskin asked. “How can somebody make a difference in somebody’s life?
“We’re bombarded with all the negative news and most people in the world are kind. We just want to spread that message.”
Lisa D’Annunzio is an artist who has hidden more than 100 Kindness Rocks.
For some, it might be more fun to hide the rocks than to find them.
“Wherever I go I have them so I can leave them,” D’Annunzio said. “It’s gotten to be weird to not have a rock to put somewhere when I go to the grocery because I’ve done it so much.
“This has been a huge source of happiness.”
D’Annunzio’s first efforts melted in the rain.
She buys her rocks at the hardware store and now paints with acrylics and then sprays an acrylic fix for preservation.
She attaches a small sticker to each rock.
“’You found it! Keep it or hide it, but first, post it,” at Facebook site, Kindness Rocks Chester County.”
There’s also an Instagram address located in the fine print. #KindnessRocksChesterCounty.”
D’Annunzio smiled when she talked about leaving a rock in a tip jar at an ice cream parlor.
The staff posted a photo of the rock, along with a shift’s worth of tips. The
“We’re helping children and families feel like there are simple things to do to make the world a better place.”
staff seemed to appreciate the rock more than the cash. Online, it was signed, “The help.”
With messages like the following from the national website, the movement is growing: “Recruit every person who stumbles upon it to join in the pursuit of inspiring others through random acts of kindness.”
A found rock can inspire.
“One message at just the right time can change someone’s entire life,” goes a Kindness Rocks group goal.