ROCKIN’ kindness throughout Fairfax County, Virginia one painted pebble at a time. While walking the streets in downtown Fairfax, visiting the splash pad at Old Town Square or running along the trails of Burke Lake, perhaps a bright, colorful rock has caught your attention. If you notice one of these gems while out and about in your community, pick it up and turn it over. Chances are it was placed there by one of the members of Fairfax Rocks! and it was “planted” there to bring a smile to your face and brighten your day. We began this rock painting group in June and now have over 1,000 members joining in the quest to spread a little cheer. We paint and hide rocks in random places in our communities. Some have an encouraging message or quote, while others are just creative works of art. Each rock has a note attached to the back with instructions: Take a Picture, Post it on Facebook at Fairfax Rocks, Join the Group, Keep or Re-hide. It’s so fun to see who finds our rocks and how excited people are to join our group and start painting/hiding rocks of their own.

We even have “traveling rocks” – rocks that have been hidden in other states and rocks that were found here by visitors who took them home to re-hide them.  We have seen our rocks pop up in PA, OH, RI, NY and SC.

This project of painting and hiding rocks to spread joy was first introduced by The Kindness Rocks Project and has now spread all over the country and beyond!  Megan Murphy is the founder/creator of the wonderful movement. She began by writing an encouraging message on a few rocks and leaving them on the beach, not knowing whether they would be found or not. Out of the five she left, one of her friends just happened to find one and sent her a message about it and how it had made her day! That was the beginning of this beautiful project. You can view her story below. Thanks to her, Rock groups are popping up in communities all around.  It’s such a fun activity for all ages and it’s a great way to encourage people to get out and explore their communities while hiding or searching for rocks.

If you would like to join us in spreading some cheer around Fairfax County, join our Facebook group at  Fairfax Rocks! You will find all the instructions and guidelines on how to get started. It’s a great project for groups to participate in as well (families, communities, scouts, organizations, businesses, parent groups, kids groups, schools).

Let’s all encourage kindness and love, one painted rock at a time. ROCK ON, FRIENDS!