Spreading kindness in the community with the Kindness Rocks Project

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SMITHFIELD — The parishioners of St. Michael Church, Smithfield, are bringing a little extra kindness to their community with the Kindness Rocks Project, a national movement to brighten the days of random passersby with inspirational messages painted on carefully placed rocks.

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Volunteers and members of the parish youth group descended on Wolf Hill Forest Preserve behind the Smithfield Police Department on Sunday, August 27, bringing with them dozens of rocks to paint with messages like “Hope,” “Shine” and verses from scripture. The rocks were placed in a rock garden at a lookout point on the Curran Lower Reservoir along with a sign encouraging hikers to take a rock and pass the kindness on.

“The idea is that if someone stumbles upon it, they carry on the kindness by taking a rock and bringing it further along the trail. It’s another way to instill being positive,” said Ashley Allard-LaCroix, an adult volunteer who organized the project for the parish youth group.

Allard-LaCroix learned about the Kindness Rocks Project online, where maps and newspaper articles document the appearance of the rocks across the country in recent years. Seeing a good opportunity to get parish families doing community service outside before the start of the school year, she decided to bring the project to the Wolf Hill Forest Preserve, a favorite hiking spot only a few minutes’ drive from the church.

“I think the biggest goal is to find activities that are both teaching kids how to grow and become better and stronger Christians and be relatable to their age level,” she said. “This is a way to really take the fact that God wants us to be better Christians.”

Unlike some youth groups that restrict participation to high school or middle school students, the St. Michael’s youth group includes children and teenagers at all levels of the religious education program. The group also invited parishioners to join them in serving their community.

Hannah Falcone, a high school-aged participant, said she had encountered the Kindness Rocks Project previously at summer camp and enjoyed leaving the messages for other people to find.

“We’re writing inspirational things onto the rocks so when people find them when they’re hiking, it will help them with their spirits,” she said.

Fifth grader Ethan Tomah also looked forward to the reactions from visitors to the Preserve. Showing off his own hand-painted treasures, he said it felt good to leave the rocks for future hikers to find.

“They’re going to be surprised and they’re going to be wowed,” he said.

In addition to the rock garden, volunteers from St. Michael’s installed a bench constructed by Allard-LaCroix’s husband, Joshua LaCroix, and planted a small garden area with materials donated by Unilock and Home Depot. The group hopes visitors will use the space for prayer, meditation and to enjoy the area’s natural beauty. A large rock painted with the project’s guiding bible verse, from Proverbs 3:3, completed the garden:

“Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart.”