Leedom ‘rocks’ its residents with messages aimed to please
RIDLEY TOWNSHIP >> The Leedom section of Ridley Township is “rocking” this month, thanks to a simple idea put into motion by resident Don Taziole and his daughter Melissa. Vibrantly colored and creatively designed rocks have been anonymously hidden all around town for the past few weeks, bringing unexpected smiles and a surge of community pride, as well as spreading unprecedented camaraderie among neighbors.
The premise is quite simple: Local residents find a rock, paint it, often inscribing it with a simple upbeat message or picture, and then hide it around the neighborhood. If a resident finds a rock, he is supposed to post pictures on the “Neighbors of Leedom Estates” Facebook page. The finder can then keep the rock or repaint it and hide it for someone else to find.
Lifelong Leedom resident Don Taziole grew up on Stoneybrook Road and now lives with his wife Joanne, son Donnie Jr. and daughter Melissa on Acres Drive. As one of the administrators of the “Neighbors of Leedom Estates” Facebook group, Taziole said that he is always on the lookout for ways to keep the Leedom community as bonded and tight as it was when he was growing up there. After reading about a similar rock campaign in the state of Washington, Taziole was intrigued. He told Melissa, a sophomore at Widener University, about it and she was equally enthused. Taziole, a union carpenter, also does landscaping on the side so he began collecting interesting-looking rocks. When he finally had a full shed, the dad-daughter duo set about to rock and roll and make their pay-it-forward “feel good” campaign happen.
“This project is not about us,” Taziole said. “It’s about all of the good people who live in the Leedom community. We are painting rocks to hide around Leedom to spread joy and brighten people’s days. This is a community-building project, meant to inspire creativity in all ages and energize people to explore the beautiful area that we live in.”
The project, started with only a few rocks, seems to have a ripple effect. In just a few weeks, there’s hardly a resident left who hasn’t discovered a colored rock near their mailbox or in a planter or hidden in a front yard bush or flower bed.
“We heard a few residents of Ridley Park are starting a similar rock campaign this week in their neighborhood after hearing about ours. All you need are a few rocks, some painting supplies and the willingness to have some fun and get creative,” explained Don’s wife Joanne.
She said one of the nicest aspects of the trend is that it’s a family bonding experience and that all ages can get involved. Her 3-yearold nephew Aiden and her 77-year-old mother Marie Carey both enjoy painting rocks.
“Jennifer Miller is a local Girl Scout leader and her troop is painting rocks,” Joanne continued. “Another neighbor, Sally Tobin, is a teacher and her class is painting rocks. The project is perfect for any individual or any group, and can be done at childcare centers, barbecues, sleepovers and birthday parties.”
“The girls and I painted rocks last week,” Jennifer Miller, the leader of Girl Scout Troop #5402 explained. “We walked around Leedom rock hunting over the weekend, while selling our Girl Scout cookies door to door, and placing our painted rocks out for all to see. What I love most about this project are the smiles. When you see a kid pick up a painted rock that she just found, the excitement on their face is priceless. The pictures of all the smiles on our Facebook page say it all. We met a senior in our community while we were out walking, who we thought could use a rock and quickly hid a rock on her property. We then
pointed it out to her and her face lit up like 4th of July!”
The Taziole family suggest using a coating over the paint to seal the rock, protecting it from the elements when hidden outdoors. The Tazioles also said if rocks to paint can’t be located in the natural environment, they can be purchased very inexpensively at Peddlers Alley, Home Depot, Dollar Tree or Walmart. For those who need inspiration, searching “rock painting” on Pinterest and Google Images is recommended.
The finished rocks, so far, have been spotted in all colors and combinations of the rainbow, with all types of designs and drawings, and phrases like “Believe in yourself,” “You rock, Smile,” “Luck is coming your way,” and “Be silly.”
Some of the rocks circulated are prize winners. Recent rocks found could be turned in for free boxes of Girl Scout Cookies, a $10 Chill-out ice cream parlor gift card, a free oil change at Brad Smith Auto on Chester Pike and free entries to a local CPR class and a nearby Coach Bingo event.
“The project has gotten a lot of residents out taking walks, even in February,” Taziole laughed. “We have seen gangs of kids walking around, going ‘rock hunting.’ Many people have told us that while they’re out looking for rocks, they enjoy rediscovering and appreciating parts of the community that they’ve forgotten about for a while.”
The Tazioles explained that the feeling residents get from finding a rock is another positive dimension of the project.
“I found a painted rock on my front steps one morning and it literally made my day,” Leedom resident Sonia Berry said this week. “This recent show of kindness is just one of the many threads that weave this little community together. Neighbors of Leedom are simply remarkable when it comes to pulling together to help out a fellow neighbor. They even help people in need who live in other parts of the township. We watch the news and read stories on social media that may shake our belief in the kindness of our fellow man, but I can assure you that citizens of Leedom are kind, thoughtful, caring and so much more. I am happy and proud to be a part of this community.”
Leedom resident Sue Smith agreed. She found a rock by her mailbox that was painted with a single rose and the phrase “Tale as old as time” on the flip side. Since the words are classics from “Beauty and the Beast,” she felt the rock was intentionally left on the Smith lawn by someone who knows that her family loves Disney.
“This rock project has definitely drawn the Leedom community closer,” Smith remarked. “It’s gotten many more people talking and feeling good about their neighbors and the whole neighborhood.”
When asked what he thought of the rock mania that has descended upon Ridley Township’s Sixth Ward, Commissioner Michael McCrea, a Leedom resident, stated, “I find this an uplifting and fun thing for the neighborhood. My wife found one on a walkway to the house the other day. It said ‘Smile, Be Happy!’ and it was painted yellow. You couldn’t help but smile.”
Positive comments from rock finders on the Neighbors of Leedom Estates page are posted one right after the other, with most proclaiming how finding the rock “made their day,” “turned their day around” or “made them smile.”
“As soon as this rock trend took off, our Facebook page exploded with pictures of rocks found and of families and groups painting their rocks,” Taziole said.
The Leedom Estates Civic Association, the Leedom Fire Co. and countless local residents have volunteered in the last two years to rev up community involvement in the closeknit section of the township. Recent events have included a chili cook-off, a Christmas parade with live entertainment and a toysfor-tots drive, a breakfast with Santa, a Christmas party at Ridley’s Water Edge, a Vest-A-Cop benefit and the revival of the Leedom Fourth of July parade. Leedom neighbors set up over 800 luminaries on the Saturday before Christmas and offer an ongoing Giving Plate dinner group, where participants make dinner for another family on a list and then receive a complete dinner from another. Other upcoming events will include a Leedom community CPR class on March 12, Paint Night on Sat., March 25, a pizza party with the Easter Bunny on Friday, April 14, and an Easter Egg hunt on Saturday, April 15.
“Seeing the smiles on kids’ faces and the comments from adults in the Neighbors of Leedom Estates Facebook group site is what this rock project is all about,” Taziole, dressed in a shirt emblazoned with the words “Leedom Strong”, said. “Melissa and I started this, just to make people in our neighborhood feel good, but dozens of residents are now just as involved. I love this town and the people in it. Now it’s tighter than ever, just like when I was a kid. This is another perfect example of how we came up with our Facebook group motto: ‘Leedom … It’s just a great place to live!’”