The first week of the new year arrived with a whole lot of kindness, thanks to a group of 2nd grade Westwood Girl Scouts. On January 6, Girl Scout Brownie Troop 62277 led a special event for fellow Girls Scouts, friends and family intended to spread kindness throughout the local community and beyond. Well over 100 children participated from the Westwood area.
The event took place at the First Baptist Church in Westwood, where children of all ages were hard at work painting brightly colored rocks with messages and images to promote kindness and happiness. Rocks of all shapes and sizes featured a range of inspirational messages such as “love,” “inspire others,” “believe,” “you are strong,” or “you are special.” Hundreds of these rocks packed tables and filled baskets onsite – and when dry, these rocks will be placed around town to surprise and delight people with kindness.
Her mother, Anne Marie Kline, loved the idea that these random reminders of kindness would surprise others and bring them joy. She wanted her daughter and others to participate because, “It teaches kids about kindness and the importance of being kind - even to people they don’t know – a powerful lesson for everyone.”
The event was initiated by 2nd grader Katherine Santos of Westwood, who applied for and won a special Disney Summer of Service grant through Youth Service America (YSA), an organization that is dedicated to helping young people find their voice, take action, and make an impact on vital community issues. The 7-year-old’s grant submission was entitled “Girl Scouts Painting the Town with Kindness” and focused on how painting can impact communities both by spreading kindness and improving physical spaces. The grant was one of six awarded in Massachusetts from a nationwide pool of applicants. It stood out as “one of the best across the nation” according to YSA.
Funds from the grant helped the Brownies purchase paint and other supplies. The Brownie Troop also benefited from the kindness of several area businesses including Home Depot of Norwood and Sam White in Sons in Medfield. Both businesses donated hundreds of rocks for the event.
Santos was thrilled to have so much help with the project “I’m happy that all of these people are here to help,” she said. She couldn’t wait to put the rocks where people “might be sad, mad, scared or lonely to make them feel better.” She and her fellow Brownies have begun brainstorming placement locations, such as area nursing homes, the doctor’s office, and the veterinarian’s.
Her mother, Keri Santos of Westwood, wasn’t sure what to expect for a turnout, but was astounded by the response. “It’s nice to see so many people who care about spreading a message of kindness. The turnout itself is inspirational and really underscores what a special community we have.”
Troop 62277 is hoping to spread its important message far beyond the Westwood community. The troop has built a Facebook page (girlscoutkindnessrocks) and a twitter account (@GSKindnessRocks) where they have encouraged people from around the nation and even the world to paint kindness rocks for their communities and upload photos. They also have a website, girlscoutkindnessrocks.weebly.com, that chronicles their kindness journey.
In late January, the Brownie troop will assess the impact of its campaign by mapping out all of the locations where kindness rocks were painted and distributed to see how far their message spread. The project will culminate with more painting when the girls repair a faded USA map on their local school playground in the Spring of 2018.
