Three Rehoboth Sisters Spread Kindness with Inspirational Rocks

If you are walking by the Blanding Library and see a colorfully painted rock on the grass, go ahead and pick it up and take it home. The rocks are part of the Kindness Rocks Project, a nationwide project that three Rehoboth sisters, Abbie, Molly and Sophie Green-Sermak decided to start here in Rehoboth (with a little help from their mother Jennie).

It’s all about inspiring others through random acts of kindness. Some of the rocks have pictures such as a sun, flowers, and emoji faces and others have inspiring messages such as “be strong,” “be mindful,” and “if you can dream it, you can do it.”

The girls saw a story about the project in Cape Cod Life magazine in April. When they were looking for something to do this summer, they remembered the project. They checked the website, thekindnessrocksproject.com, to see if there was a group in the area, and there wasn’t, so they decided to start one in Rehoboth. There are a few rules, such as being respectful of where you leave the rocks and asking permission in certain places.

Kindness Rocks has been featured on the Today Show, in the Boston Globe and Washington Post and on several local television stations. The project was started by a woman from Cape Cod. According to the Kindness Rocks website, it was “created to spread inspiration and a moment of kindness for unsuspecting recipients through random inspirational rocks dropped along the way.”

The Green-Sermak girls have painted more than 300 rocks thus far and have hidden 150 of them.  Jennie Green, the girls’ mother, says the girls are very excited about the project and love doing it. They have been painting about 50 rocks a day. “The idea is that it doesn’t take a lot to make someone smile. Anyone can make a difference no matter how old you are,” Green said.

They asked the Blanding Library if they could create a rock garden there and they said yes. They have also placed rocks at other locations around town, including the post office, Veteran’s Memorial, local restaurants and playgrounds.

They have a Facebook page “The Kindness Rocks Project – Rehoboth, MA” where they give hints to where the rocks are hidden. Folks can also post about the rocks they have found. “The reward is to hear the stories of someone finding a rock and it making their day,” Green said. Green says people are welcome to paint their own rocks and leave them at a collection site or hide them on their own. Folks can also take a rock and give it to a friend or family member or re-hide it for someone else. “It’s open to everyone,” Green said. “We hope everyone will join us and join in the fun.”

If you have any questions or want to get involved in the Kindness Rocks Project, email Green at jennieandabbierose@yahoo.com.