Over the next few weeks, if you happen to be strolling the streets in the town of Simsbury or the city of Hartford, a brightly painted rock just might pop up along your way, spreading its message of kindness or just bringing a smile to your face with its whimsical design.
On October 18, 2018, the Simsbury Enrichment & Extended Day (SEED) held its first Family Fun Night of the year. SEED’s mission for the evening was to have the families work together to paint approximately 300 rocks. Not only would there be the immediate shared experience of creating these little works of art together, but the families were encouraged to sprinkle the painted rocks in different parts of their community to “spark a little joy in people’s everyday lives.” Said Youth Services Division Director Nikki Mahan, “Go out in the community where you live and leave the rocks there,” adding, “The idea is not to keep them but set them on their way!”
The SEED program, implemented at all five elementary schools in Simsbury, provides before- and after-school care in a safe, enriching environment. A few times during the school year, SEED holds evening events, complete with complimentary pizza, to bring together staff, students, and their families for a fun night. The Kindness Rocks Project, originally a pay-it-forward service project initiated by Massachusetts life coach Megan Murphy, encourages people to create inspirational rocks and leave them for others to find.
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Mahan, along with SEED Program Coordinator Kelly Curtis, plan the Family Fun Nights themes over the summer, and they make sure that at least one constitutes a community service project or benefits a charity. Last year, “Blankets for Buddies” provided veterans and children in hospitals with comfort in the form of hand-crafted fleece blankets. The SEED program emphasizes the character traits of respect, responsibility, and kindness, so the Kindness Rocks Project was an ideal theme that aligned with their goal of engaging Hartford and Simsbury families in a project to benefit their community.
Said Mahan, “Our Family Fun Night was about bringing people and families together to do something positive that could be shared with someone else. Spreading kindness and cheer is something we all can always benefit from!”
